Screaming Sun
by Blazeraptor54
Summary: Depression the demon that looks like you sounds like you, and is trying to kill you. Naruto Namikaze looks in the mirror every day, trying to find a reason to continue on. The promise he made to his late mother, the few friends he has in the world? He knows that somewhere, someway, he'll be able to feel happy...perhaps it'll come in a form he least suspects. (Epic length, may go M)
1. Episode One: A Lonely Fox

A blonde shot upright on a small twin bed, he yawned as he stretched his well-built form. He rubbed his head, where his fox ears twitched as his blonde hair clouded their form a little. He yawned, taking a deep breath before getting up.

He looked at the alarm clock, noting that it was four in the morning, stretching and slightly dancing to the music playing on his alarm, he bopped his head as he spun on his feet and grabbed his clothing for the day.

Which were black cargo pants and a red T-shirt with a symbol of a nine-tailed fox on the back. The blonde yawn, exposing unnaturally long canine teeth as he rubbed his head. He reached down toward the bed, grabbing his scroll.

Walking out of the room, he grabbed a few towels he had at the doorstep, he stopped when he came into the living room. It wasn't really a living room, no T.V, but a few easels with completed paintings were in the middle and a couch was facing them.

There was a small shelf, a picture of a woman with red hair and bright blue eyes in the photo of what appeared to be a younger him. He smiled as he walked over toward it, picking it up and rubbing it with a thumb. He kissed the top of it after a few moments of looking at it and put it back down near an urn.

 _'Morning mom,'_ the blonde happily greeted mentally and looked at the urn, ' _I got to go to class today. I can't be long, because I got finish an appointment to finish with an art dealer named Mirabella Caro after class, then I got the dance lessons you made me get when I was younger.'_

Sighing, he stroked the back of his finger on the urn, "catch you later mom."

Quickly he went into the bathroom, getting his toothbrush and began to vigorously scrub his teeth. He got anything he could, all the while humming the song from earlier. Finishing, he spat into the sink and stretched once more.

The blonde took a look at the mirror, rubbing his whisker marks and sighed, it wasn't a Faunus trait so much as a birthmark. From the few photos of his father, a tall blonde haired man, he also had the whiskers. There was always something about the photo, especially since it seemed like his father had been so happy.

Then why did he just walk away?

His mother never really talked to him after that, instead she just cryptically revered to his father as "Baka-Ku" an old slang for idiot nine. He never really knew what it meant, but he didn't really care.

"When I finally return, the things that I learn, carry me back home~" Naruto sang softly into the mirror, listening to his mother's voice in his head as he moved away from the mirror.

He walked out of the bathroom, looking at the bland apartment that he had in Vale City, he'd be graduating Signal Academy in a couple of months and two weeks. He already placed his transcripts into Beacon Academy, with them having high hopes of passing through.

Walking over toward his equipment, he picked up a chokuto, looking at the little charm on the hilt. It was a picture of a small little flame symbol, his mom had put on, and it was originally his father's blade from what little she gave him.

He took it with him toward his room, where he stripped of his clothing and began to change into his new clothing. Like a fox shedding its fur, Naruto tied the scabbard of the blade to his pants inside one of the belt loops.

Removing the blade, he inspected the sword, looking at the indents and chips in the steel. A blade that obviously seen its fair share of combat, practice or otherwise. Sheathing the blade inside the scabbard he checked at the gearing in the scabbard that allowed his weapon to take on its ranged form.

A bow.

The name of the weapon, a name his mother gave to it, was Red Flower.

Sighing, Naruto walks over toward kitchen and gets out an energy drink, _'another day…another sunrise.'_

He looked out his apartment's kitchen window, in the faint distance, he could see the Upper-Class District, where the wealthy owned homes near Beacon Academy. The goal of which he has strived for, for the past year.

Bleeding, sweating, crying at every failure and picking himself back up to persevere through it all. Taking in the sights, Naruto just clutched his chest, taking a deep breath as he somehow brought a smile to his face.

Depression and the voices in his head always spoke negativity, but he could try to find positivity if he searched hard enough. With a quick prayer, bowing his head against the window, the blonde Fox Faunus was ready to start his day.

His fox ears stood up, an indication of his upbeat mood, or an attempt at least.

He walked toward his apartment door, only to get a sudden call on his scroll. He looked down at it, _"weird…"_

 _'_ _I never expected them to call back so soon,'_ Naruto swiped the scroll for it to answer the call, "Naruto Namikaze, future greatest Huntsman on Remnant."

 _"Ah yes, young Namikaze, this is Mirabella Caro. My sources told me you were very much the early bird, anyway, is it okay if I drop by right now while I'm in town to take a look at your artwork?"_ Mirabella, an elderly woman, spoke over the phone.

"Um, well, mam. It's honestly a bad time, I have to catch the train to Patch at five, and I'm getting ready to head out the door. Aren't you able to come in this evening?" Naruto questioned as he walked toward the door.

 _"Why yes, of course, I was just looking to clear up my schedule early."_ She sounded happy to have been in contact if her chipper tone was any indication.

"Know the feeling Mrs. Mirabella, you and your husband are always on call for highly talented artists," Naruto replied as she chuckled over the phone, he seemed to be happier than what he began out as.

 _"Well, when you sent the blurry photos, I could tell the pictures spoke of a story, a talent lost on many artists seem to lack in today's age. It would be my pleasure to work with you young man,"_ Mirabella spoke with enthusiasm, ready to take him under her name.

"Well, thank you," Naruto thanks her as he walked in front of his door.

Pacing, waiting to get off the call so he could continue with his day.

 _"Who taught you?"_ Mirabella inquired, curious as to know who Naruto's teacher was.

"My mother, she had me be creative since I was a child," Naruto reveals, remembering all the times his mother made him sit down and express himself through art.

 _"Ah, lovely, can't wait to meet her!"_ The older woman told Naruto over the scroll, and she looked at him as his face became sour.

"Well, you'll need a time machine, she died about ten years back to a massive aneurysm," Naruto tells Mirabella, sighing as she did.

 _"Oh dear, very sorry, I hope I didn't offend!"_ Mirabella sounded concerned, not wanting to push away a prospect.

"You didn't offend me, no, I'm the one who needs to worry about offending you," Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his head, just behind his ears.

Mirabella laughed, _"especially with a rather good payday possibly on the way."_

He opens the door from his apartment, looking at the large hallway. Slowly closing his door so he didn't catch a noise complaint again from his nosey neighbor, Rogers, he began to walk down the hallway leading to the elevator.

 _"So, Mr. Namikaze, what does a young artist attempt to do for fun?"_ She inquires, curious to what one so young does when left to his own devices.

Naruto answered her quickly as he got into the elevator, "Many things, but I have to be going now, I need to catch my train."

 _"Alright, see you around five?"_ She questioned him, making sure.

Naruto nodded, and smiles, "That is perfect, thank you!"

* * *

Vale City was vast, a large city with skylines with a view of Mt. Glenn from the very tallest buildings. The streets of Vale all converged toward the center, in Upper-Class District, where the seat of government was.

The Council Building was massive, a palace formerly before being divided up into chambers. Chambers for laws, commerce, representatives, and even the political heads of all of Vale. The councilmen and it was also here where Naruto would take The Terra-Neo Express, a subway that was underground and ran underwater in a massive tunnel into Patch Town.

Currently, Naruto was rounding a corner street, passing a nightclub that was shady. He heard police sirens in the distance, sighing, he looked back at the sirens of where they'd be rounding a corner any moment.

 _'_ _Keep on moving forward, keep moving forward…"_ Naruto mentally mantras as he walks with grace through the crowd of people, not impacting any of them.

He saw the electric billboards broadcast for a band called Bloody Zoo which would play in a few weeks in Vale, the band was a favorite of Naruto's. He had never been to a concert for them before, and he wanted to go so badly.

His stomach growled, he was hungry, but he didn't have the time to stop as he made his way across the street. Finally getting into the Upper-Class district. He saw a subway entrance and entered it.

Vale's subway system was vast, gigantic even, bullet trains went underground to where Grimm couldn't reach unless it was sabotaged for them to be so. Naruto was going toward Bullet Train: Eight, which would go directly to Patch Island via a twenty-mile underwater tunnel.

He smelled smoke from tobacco and even weed as he entered the train, he looked over at the other seats, finding the source coming from several people in their seats. Naruto didn't mind weed, he never had any, but he had a buddy that worked an instrument shop he got his music lessons every other week. His buddy smoked it like a bad habit and was stoned out of his gourd about every other day.

In fact, this Friday was supposed to be for the Violin, something Naruto had always wanted to try. Truth be told, he was good at more ethnic musical instruments like Guzhengs and Flamingo Guitars from Mistral and Vacuo respectively.

Currently, Naruto was listening to some heavy metal, it was ethnic in the form that the metal band was from Menagerie, and they had a song about depression and overcoming it. Good old fashion Bloody Zoo and he laid against his seat.

He looked down at his hand, frowning at the scar on his wrist.

He has a scar across his right wrist, vertically, a cut meant to kill. A child, the tender age of thirteen. He had been told that his mother was gone and that he had no relatives. Police even tried to find his father, but only to come up empty-handed.

It was also the day he unlocked his aura, cementing his path.

* * *

 _A child stared at the mirror, it was cracked, his fist bloody as he looked at himself in it. The blonde looked down at a small knife on the sink. He took a deep breath, holding out his right wrist, cutting up from the base._

 _"_ _I can't keep going anymore…I can't…I can't…" He cries as he held the tip of the knife, pressing it into the skin._

 _Slowly pressing deeper, getting used to the pain, it didn't matter to him…not anymore._

 _One swift cut at the end, blood spurting out, Naruto fell backward and hit the wall. He breathed slowly, enough to allow the bleeding to flow normally, he just looked at his reflection. He whimpered as it looked back at him._

 _Lifeless blue eyes, no light, no hope!_

 _"_ _Please…just…let me go…" Naruto murmurs, he sobbed as he held his knees with his good arm, "I can't do this anymore…"_

 _He laid there, a small pool of blood slowly forming just under his wrist, he looked at the reflection a little bit more. 'All the gold in the world couldn't make me…us…feel better.'_

 _"I just want to be done with it," Naruto mumbled at his reflection, "I can't do it anymore…"_

 _Naruto's eyes squeezed shut, tears streamed down them, "I hate the fact I wake up and I don't see mom's smile…just…please…let me stay asleep…"_

 _However, instead of the cold, he felt the warmth. He looked down, seeing the wound slowly closes up, he looked at himself as an orange outline painted his body. He sobbed as he suddenly realized what he truly had done, too caught in the moment earlier to fully experience the gravity of it all._

 _Remembering her smile, Naruto sobs, remembering the dreams he expressed to her. His aura ignited around him, slowly the wound hisses as it closes, sealing shut, save for the dry blood where the cut used to be._

 _He almost broke his promise to his mom!_

 _He threw the knife at the tub, it cracked the ceramic from how hard the throw was. The black metal underneath was exposed, Naruto rocked back and forth, sobbing. He didn't know what to do anymore, he wanted to die…but he didn't want to break his promise to his mother._

 _Day and night, he spent hours upon hours trying to unlock his aura, and here at the last minute, it unleashes itself to save him. He didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse. All this time, all this struggle, all the training._

 _And, in the end, it came at his weakest moment._

 _However, while the wound closed, a scar remained to show him that his soul had just saved him itself. He sobbed, clutching his body, rocking back and forth._

* * *

He now wore that scar, he wore it openly sometimes, and the people never questioned him about it and assumed it was a battle wound. However, to him, it was a reminder of how close and easy it was to fall into the inner demons that plagued many people.

The demon, Depression, was not some twisted creature.

It was you, the "real" you, constantly making you double check yourself. Constantly, always constantly, doubting your own ability. It pushed, pushed you towards the darker recesses of the mind. To things that you'd never do while in your right mind.

Suicide.

No one, never, in a sober and clear mind wants to put an end to themselves. So, every day he looked at the scar, no matter how faded it got it was a reminder.

A reminder that he was his own demon, that he himself could be the end, but for thirteen reasons he listed for wanting to go away…he always found three more to just stay.

The three reasons were simple.

 _"You have a promise to be kept!"  
"A new sun is just around the darkest moon!"  
"There are people that love you!"_

It was a struggle, he sometimes fell back into the thought, and the demon would rear its very familiar head to just gloat and _welcome_ him back. It whispered sweet nothings, sweet oblivion in his ear. The end to all thoughts, the end to all pain and suffering. However, what would be waiting for him on the other side?

Would he just…stop, or go somewhere else?

It was constant in its barrage, goading him to be angry at the world, goading him to _finish_ what he started. But the blonde kept his head held high in pride. He had pride in being the son of two Huntsmen, and he wasn't about to let himself die without doing something meaningful with his life.

Even if he felt like he didn't belong.

Because, he knew, that his life would one day be one that saved others! If he died, then a few people, maybe a few dozens, may die because he didn't become a Huntsman. It wasn't a matter of destiny, it was a matter of forging his path.

His blood being the water to cool the tempered steel of his body, his mind is the will and his heart being the flames. He was no different than the sword he wields,

Even still, what if his adoptive sister were to hear that he ended himself? It would devastate her!

Her name echoed in his mind, a brown-skinned girl with spots, brown hair in a long ponytail, the sweetest smile.

Ilia.

Naruto Namikaze had moved from Atlas to Vale just a year ago, mostly keeping to himself, since he was wanting to go to Beacon after he was done with vocational schooling. His previous school, uncreatively, Atlas Introductory Academy, was a far gone past he wished to forget about.

However, to forget about the hard times is to forget about the one person that made life worthwhile for a while. Going from a bad stretch in a foster home and running away, Naruto didn't have much to look forward too.

Despite him passing his entrance exam, he didn't feel like he belongs in Atlas.

Mostly human students save for a few Faunus students, out of those few many were bullied. One of them, an old friend of his in the form of Ilia, snapped from all the bullying and such. She was an upperclassman, very good at her heart.

Until the mine that her parents worked in collapsed, and students laughed about it. They laughed at a tragedy, and what was new? In a day and age when people put tragedies in the form of memes, making jokes out of a suicide or racism.

Dark comedy was okay, but there was the difference between dark comedy and just being a douche bag. A lot of the upperclassmen in Atlas Introductory Academy were raised in "old way," which was human on top…Faunus on the bottom.

It made Naruto's blood boil, and when she left, he admittingly wasn't too far behind.

He wasn't born in Atlas, nor was he raised in the frozen continent and country. He was born in Menagerie, went to grade school in Menagerie before his mom constantly moved due to her job. She had been, ironically, a sale's manager for a Dust Company called Western Remnant Dust and prior to that a Huntress before becoming pregnant with him.

A small, very new company, promising cheap and available Dust to many customers. Based out in Vacuo, Naruto spent his later child until he was ten years old in Vacuo. Where, unfortunately, his mother died to her massive aneurysm.

It was instant, no pain, which was weird because she was still a young woman of thirty-two at the time. However, he came home after a day playing with other kids, she was laying on the couch. She looked like she was a sleeping, but a small trickle of blood was at her mouth and nose.

That day, however, a boy learned that life could throw the hardest curveballs.

He wasn't rich, even now, his mother left him a good inheritance. It mostly paid apartments that he'd come to live in. Airfare tickets, clothing, and food. It almost got stolen from him once, but he managed to get it back, thankfully.

His whole dream, his whole ambition was to become a Huntsman, it had been his dream as a kid and a dream his mother encouraged!

Though, his mother worried about his obsession with that dream, the nights he would set up a fake dummy made of pillows to punch. Even sneaking one of his father's books, a manual he had written. It was funny at first, until Naruto tried picking fights with older kids, and got his face pummeled as a result.

He learned a valuable lesson, never pick a fight you can't win, and never instigate.

However, ever since his junior year in Atlas's more militaristic version of Signal, Naruto got his transfers approved by someone he'd never thought would come through. But, as the old saying went, beggars could not be choosers.

He came into Vale midyear, just after the start of the senior year in Signal Academy. With it, his transfers had all gotten approved, marked down by Taiyang Xiao-Long, one of the academy's longtime instructors, and a very well-mannered man.

However, Naruto wasn't exactly into making friends.

He stayed to himself, he didn't speak much unless it was to an instructor, and he just made sure to do the work and get out. It wasn't that he didn't have anything against anyone, he didn't, but his last few years of life had revolved around his friends in Atlas.

Flynt, Neon, Ilia, and a cute little ginger named Penny.

Flynt Coal, Virtuoso, was the musical genius of the little group of wayward souls, his father had lost the business to Schnee Company rivals, and currently, he was keeping his family afloat by playing at lavish parties held by…ironically, The Schnee Dust Company.

Neon Katt, Party Girl, she had taken Naruto a few times to parties. Never really amounted to much, she did hand him his first try at alcohol, which he and she discovered that he was too much of lightweight to even amount to a drinker. She came from a tough home and was solely in Atlas Academy to impress her military officer of a father.

Ilia Amitola, Naruto's best friend, he was one of the few that knew her true nature as a Faunus. She also hid Naruto more or less, though she never really liked The White Fang, after the death of her parents she ran away to join them.

She was the only person that Naruto found sisterly, and not to mention she trusted him with another massive secret that only he and she knew.

That she was a lesbian.

Penny Polendina, a strange girl with a sister that traveled with her, Ciel. Naruto liked Penny, despite the few times they had been able to hang out.

It hurt him to leave them behind in the endless winter, but after seeing the true nature of Atlas, he felt disgusted to ever think of himself representing that place. So, what if his life became a little harder, his moral code still was the center of his existence.

And, his morality painted Atlas as not worth representing.

Naruto leaned back, closing his eyes.

* * *

 _Naruto ran down the cold hallways as he followed a girl, time seems to fall into a slow movement as he neared her. He finally passes her, cutting her off, holding his arms out with tears in his eyes. He looked at the girl, a frown on his face._

 _She had brown skin normally, but it was blue as she looked at Naruto, with red spots. Naruto knew that it meant she was sad and angry, probably sad that she was running away, while Naruto stood in her way._

 _The blonde looked at her, he wore a heavy coat and sweatpants, their eyes met. "I can't let you do this to yourself, without knowing, is this really what you want?"_

 _"Naruto, don't play stupid, you want to leave too!" Ilia yelled at him, accusing him of being a hypocrite._

 _"So," Naruto replied and kept his arms held out, "I care enough to damn well question you!"_

 _"You're not even my blood!" The Chameleon Faunus screamed at him._

 _He screamed back at her, his voice filled with hurt and passion. "No, but you're my sister, and I can't just let you walk away from something…without…"_

 _Looking to the side, Naruto sighs, "saying…goodbye…"_

 _His face was scrunched up as he looked right at her, he then slowly started to sob, "you're my closest friend Ilia. I didn't open up to the others like I opened up to you, I love you sis, and I just wanted to know if you really want this?"_

 _"There's no going back from it," Naruto blocked her when she tried to run forward past him, "just please listen!"_

 _"Then come with me!" Ilia yelled, "come with me and join up."_

 _"You know I can't," Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I can't break a promise that I can keep."_

 _"Naruto," Ilia looked at her best friend, "you know no matter what you do…"_

 _"I know she can't come back, goddamn it!" Naruto screamed at her, "and it is not about mom…its for me…to prove them wrong!"_

 _He pointed toward the dorm hall, his aura flared around him, he looked right at Ilia. "I hate them as much as you do, but not every human is racist and not every Faunus has the best interests of you in mind…which is why…if we must go this way…"_

 _Naruto held his hand out, "I don't want to say goodbye…"_

 _Ilia looked at him, she was younger than him, by a year or so, and he still held the young brother spot in her eyes. She reached out with her hand, grasping his until their fingers interlocked. She then grabbed him suddenly, pulling him into a hug before kissing the top of his head._

 _She smiled, "then I'll see you later."_

 _They broke apart, Naruto took a deep breath as he held back his tears as he stepped out of the way of Ilia. She ran past him, stopping and then turning to him, she had a sad smile on her face. However, she suddenly gave him a thumb's up._

 _"You go," she orders him, "and show them that you're Naruto Namikaze…the little badass that could."_

 _Naruto couldn't help it, he chuckled, "and you don't lose yourself Ilia…please."_

 _She nodded, starting her running again._

 _Naruto held his head low, he watched as she rounded a corner before walking away. However, his walk turned into a stumble until he slumped against a wall and slid down it. Slowly he brought his knees up to his face, sobbing as he felt alone._

 _"Now arriving at Station: One, Patch Town."_

* * *

Naruto's eyes snapped open, briefly turning red as he fluttered them to focus. When he got up they slowly turned back into their normal blue, it was a common effect he had when he felt emotional. His eyes would just go red when he felt upset, and he was.

He really missed Ilia!

Departing the train, Naruto stretched as he got into the station and looked up the steps.

Today was going to be a very active day!

He climbed up the steps, quickly going in between people. The train had arrived a little bit early, meaning as soon as he poked his head up from the underground staircase the blonde could see the sun rising from just behind Patch's mountain.

Uncreatively called Mt. Patchy.

Patch Town itself was like a mini Vale, scaled down to mini building that at most reached four stories into the air. Not impressive compared to the skyscrapers of the city, but Patch Town was bustling with activity.

Trade, eateries, people playing street games. Patch Town was wholesome in the sense that there wasn't as much crime in this small town. Unlike Vale, if you were in the poorer district, you had a one in twenty chance of being robbed that very night.

He quickly made his way over to fast food restaurant, McBurger and quickly went inside. Quickly ordering a coffee and a couple of hash browns, Naruto ran out of the restaurant after giving them the money owed by scanning his scroll on the scanner.

Looking at the hustle and bustle of the town around him, Naruto watches as a man in a bowler hat was sitting at an outside restaurant table talking to a girl with mixed hair and eyes that made her look like the famous Neapolitan ice cream.

They didn't pay any attention him, nor did he to them, they were probably father and daughter enjoying a day out in Patch. His ears stood straight up as he made his way into the outer parts of the town, moving toward a large three-story building.

Signal Academy.

* * *

The blonde quickly made his way inside by scanning his scroll against the door's scanner. Security in the school was laxed, but it required your scroll to get in to keep people from simply walking inside. Naruto made his way through the halls, going upstairs to where his locker was.

He opened the locker, locker ten-ten, and put his miscellanies stuff inside of it. He yawns, closing the locker and looked over at several girls as they walked by. One had green hair, the others were all blonde. The leader of the group had lilac eyes, she seemed to be talking about boys.

Typical teenage girl stuff.

The blonde made his way into class, going back down a flight of stairs to do so onto the first floor. The Faunus entered, yawning as he took his seat. His first class of the day was history, followed by mathematics.

* * *

Naruto was asleep, on the desk, his history class was boring!

Then again, he never really got much sleep at home, but he had a secret weapon going to make sure he never fell behind. Something he revealed to Mr. Xiao-Long after being put in detention for supposedly cheating.

He had his scroll set to record mode, recording everything in the background, but he had managed to set it to pick up on Xiao-Long's voice specifically to be louder. Occasionally, humorously, a small snore could be heard on each of the recordings.

The blonde's movement varied from small little twitches to sudden hand jerks at some points. Until the sound of a bell sounded, his head suddenly shot straight up, he watched as other students got up and got ready to leave.

"You know," Naruto looked at a blonde haired man with a small stubble. "It's kind of creepy on how you get up exactly as the bell goes off."

"I grew up on alarms," Naruto got and stretched.

Mr. Xiao-Long was slightly taller than the blonde young man in front of him, he looked at the kid and smirked. "You know we got a test coming up."

"Yeah~" Naruto drawls as he rolled his eyes, "just remember our deal."

"Yeah-yeah," Taiyang Xiao-Long held up a ticket and made Naruto's eyes wide, "Bloody-Zoo, front row."

The teen just chuckled, he nodded and rubbed the back of his head, "guess I'll ace that test then."

"You know," Naruto stopped what he was doing, "you look like you're not eating much kid…you alright?"

"Yeah, fine, just a rough month," Naruto tells Taiyang, he continued to stretch and yawn.

The man looked at Naruto, "if you want, I can invite you over for dinner."

"Sorry," Naruto shakes his head and apologizes, "I can't because I have a previous engagement later on today."

"Oh…" Tai watched as the blonde picked up his satchel that he always put in his locker before leaving.

The older blonde watched as the younger left his classroom, _"you better be taking care of yourself, I read the file."_

Lunch came by, Naruto was sitting a table by himself, sketching in a notepad as he ate his food. It was instant noodles that he got from the small snack bar, he was currently doodling pictures inside of the notepad.

Various people, various places, finding inspiration for his next art pieces if the current ones he was going to sell to a dealer proved fortuitously lucrative.

Naruto chewed a hard noodle that failed to boil, he grimaces at the cracking, sighing at the fact the dumb microwave once again gave out too early on the noodles. Something about the water vapor made it stop, perhaps it was just bad luck.

His current drawing was that of himself, but there was another him standing just behind him, mirrored. Unlike normal him, this one had demonic features and an evil smile. It seemed to be leaning toward Naruto's ear.

Whispering.

 _"You cannot weather me…"_ he imagines it would say, _"I always come to collect."_

Naruto took a deep breath, and he'd always reply ever since cementing his resolve, _"I am the bird that falls and rises."_

Taking a deep breath, the blonde finished a sketch just as the bell rang. He looked at it, strangely, he had been influenced in some way to draw the character of Demon Naruto with the shading one would associate red hair and eyes.

Demon Naruto, the name he gave to his depression when it first appeared in physical form in dreams after his failed suicide, was an absolute coldhearted bastard piece of Naruto that he'd love to one day bury.

It made fun of everything, even itself, and even made comments on how Ilia would just be better off dead Naruto's hands if they two should ever meet again.

Perhaps Demon Naruto was not only his depression, but the repressed rage of years with self-abuse, racism, and abandonment Naruto had also faced?

The Darkness within The Light.

Then again, perhaps, Naruto was just crazy?

He got up, leaving last out of the cafeteria, heading toward Range Class, and to the latter part of the day. Walking down the hallways, Naruto saw a girl with silver eyes talking to the lilac eyed girl from earlier, laughing at something they watched on their scroll.

Suddenly he could hear yelling, watching as a smaller teen was pushed against his locker by a rusty-haired teen. The teen was much taller than the smaller teen, who winced as the older teen demanded his lunch money.

A classic bully who needs his nose busted across his face.

* * *

Time moved slower in the latter part of the day for him, it was the time he truly focused on honing his craft as a Huntsman in training. The blonde Fox Faunus grabs his satchel, placing it into his locker. He looked at an old sepia photograph he kept in his locker, one of his mom and him.

He had carried that photograph around since he was a little kid, it was a good luck charm if anything. Closing the locker with a heavy sigh, he took a look at the clock, it didn't matter if he showed up late to the next class or not, there was no lesson to be learned there, just take aim and shoot until you _feel_ you got it down.

Getting himself situated the blonde walks down the hall, going out into the back of the school where the range was. He could see where some people shot fully automatic weapons, one even had two daggers that were built with a revolver base. Firing rounds, while his mohawk waved in the wind.

It was windy today, not good for people who used physical bolts from crossbow weapons, or arrows from normal archery weapons. However, Naruto didn't have to worry about that. He unclipped Red Flower from his belt line, pressing a button on her hilt that made it contort and the sheath morph into a bowlike shape where a string-enhanced with gravity dust poke itself out from the hilt of his blade.

The rest of the emerged from the blade, allowing him to grip it and test the draw. He saw everything was in working order and then walked towards the range. He took a position, stumping his foot down on the fifty-yard button, making several dummies pop.

He pulled back on the bowstring while channeling aura into it, focusing lenses popped out of the scabbard just in front of where an arrowlike shape was slowly forming. His eyes blazed with light as he focused his aura, then lets it fly.

A loud snap occurring as it flew.

The aura arrow made a high pitched noise as it soared, taking the dummy's head off, Naruto took a deep breath as he formed another arrow with aura and aimed for the midsection as he overdrew the string once more.

Naruto took a deep breath, imagining the target as a Grimm, he then loosed another arrow and heard it whistle and hit the target hard enough to splinter the midsection of the dummy. He looked at where he was standing, the school had markers, an indication of the distance from the target.

Saw he moved his foot over, to make the dummies get taken back.

At the one hundred fifty meter mark, a normal longbow would be nearing its effective range. Naruto took a deep breath as he looked right at the next dummy being loaded further down the range. Two hundred meters.

Naruto took aim, and for the umpteenth time this week, he didn't imagine a dummy as a Grimm.

He imagined his father, the one who abandoned him and his mother.

He imagined the shock of his own father's face if his son ever had the chance, especially if the meeting prior went way south, perhaps it would look like a face of man who long expected his death coming from his own child.

A face that bore no emotion, fit for an emotionless and cruel bastard!

Naruto set loose the aura arrow, it screamed from the extra overdraw, it took off the head of the dummy before slamming it in a tree nearby. Just a few meters past the two hundred meter mark dummy.

If Demon Naruto was to have any freedom, it was against Grimm, and it would most certainly be against his father if the two should ever meet up!

Naruto watched as the target was moved back to the two hundred and fifteen meters, he took aim and focused. He fired the arrow, but it soared just shy of the dummies head, he growled slightly as he looked at the dummy.

He didn't bother firing another shot, he knew, two hundred and five meters was the mass range he could hit accurately. Unless the target was big, but each shot from the bow was a drawback if he missed constantly.

Missing once was a waste of single percent of his aura, it may sound small, but after ten shots…fifteen? The numbers added up over time.

He could start a fight, one hundred percent, but if he had gotten hit by a big attack and lost fifty percent of his aura shield in one go? That ten extra and fifteen extra may come back to bite him in his ass.

That was the flaw of aura weapons, they ate away at your natural aura shield, which is why they were not exceedingly expensive to make. A few thousand Liens, but compared to some other weapons? That was cheap.

Naruto reformed Red Flower back to her sword form, attaching the scabbard to his hip. He looked at the target, his hands clenching as it took the image of a dead man lying on the ground.

The blonde had no ill will against anyone, but his father, there was no amount of forgiveness that could ever make him able to keep from attacking let alone letting the man live.

Perhaps this was the wrong thing, nursing the rage inside.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, he walked away.

Naruto swiftly dodged a slash from an instructor, he backed up while shuffling his feet and moving about as if he was dancing. The blonde brought his blade up, blocking the much larger sword of Qrow Brawen, Mr. Brawen as he referred to in the classroom.

He had been made to participate, and so far, he was shining!

He swiftly dodged another slash, parrying a thrust while rolling his body to gain a better distance away from Mr. Brawen, the blonde took a deep breath as he leaned back and dodged another slash. He went onto his hands, flipping backward but then tried to kick the instructor.

Naruto managed to get a clean hit on Qrow's shoulder, moving back to dodge a slash as he spun on his heel to go to Qrow's side. It was like a dance; his feet went closer together when he went to spin to add speed to it. Slashing Qrow, Naruto found that his slash didn't make contact save for cutting a piece of fabric off the man's cloak.

Qrow dodges a thrust by Naruto as the blonde stepped into it, moving back when the man tried to counter-thrust. Taking deep breaths in his movements, Naruto's eyes read through Qrow's movements, finding an opening he leaps up and spun on his side while slashing his sword out.

The instructor backstepped, slapping the blonde away with the flat end of his blade, but Naruto easily caught himself from hitting the ground and hopped up on his feet. Standing there, holding his sword directly at Qrow.

Both circled each other a few times before both charged, he knew the instructor wasn't taking him seriously. Naruto charged, stopping and thrusting his sword just as Qrow moved back, leaning back on one foot while thrusting his large blade as well.

Naruto tucked his ears behind his head, the blade barely missing them, but there he saw his opening hopped up in time to kick at Qrow.

"Good, good!" Qrow praises as he blocked the kick, having no other choice, "see class, this is called using your full body. Always be aware that the best weapon is the six inches of space between your ears!"

A few people chuckled, making Qrow stop the spar, not minding that Naruto got off the stage quickly afterward. He looked at the few that were chuckling, puckering his underlip a little as he nodded and waved his arms out.

"Alright," Qrow speaks with a humorous undertone, "we all know whose dead!"

A chorus of laughs came from the students, Qrow then looked at them, "as you know the final days as your last year is nearing. Many of you have applied yourself, conducted yourself, and did everything you were supposed to do."

"However, this doesn't mean you must stop doing what you've done here. You very well have a life ahead of you few dreams of, and fewer still have the balls to take." Mr. Brawen stated with a proud smile at some of the students.

He then looked at them all, "you will be the future of the world, bear the fruit and move forward, class dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" A chorus of yells echoed in the stage room.

Qrow watched as most of the students left, instead of Naruto, who was just seated in a lotus as he held his sketchbook. He looked up at Qrow, seemingly sketching the man, he stopped and yawned as he got up.

The experienced Huntsman looked at Naruto, "you got something to say Vulpine?"

Naruto looked at the man, shaking his head, "not really."

"You know, kid, just saying, you could with making friends these last two months. Hell, you may end up with my niece on your team, and she loves to start a fight." The man laughed and walked over toward a mini fridge, "beer?"

"No," Naruto replied as he packed his stuff up.

Qrow shrugs, "suit yourself, so tell me…why did you refuse the dinner?"

"I have dealer coming to look at my art," Naruto told him as he finished packing up, "plus I don't want to go where I feel like people will ask questions about my daily life."

The man shrugs, "fair enough…do you even know who I was talking about?"

"Nope." Naruto replied, and he looked at Qrow, "you know, you're actually kind of cool for a teacher."

"Shit," Qrow laughs at Naruto, "and here I was expecting a snarky remark."

"I can be a smartass if you like," Naruto got a water from the mini fridge, chugging it down with a big gulps.

The blonde finishes it before throwing it into the trashcan, "three points!"

Qrow rolls his eyes, "so, you've been improving."

"Not good enough, I don't think I can take you in a serious fight." Naruto comments, rubbing his arm.

"Want that beer then?" Qrow held a small can out, "fuck man, c'mon it is just one."

"Isn't there a law about this," Naruto reluctantly got ahold of the can, "about forcing alcohol on students?"

"And, you're a goddamn man in two months. Look, I'm not giving you sympathy. If you turned out to be some gangbanger, I'd take you out like any other trash…but…you made something of yourself." Qrow patted Naruto's shoulder, "and you should be proud of that."

The blonde nodded, "I am, just wish my mother was here to see it…"

"You never mentioned an old man," Qrow looked at the blonde and smiled while taking a drink, "I'd be fucking stoked to have you as a kid."

"Why didn't you go and have kids, I mean you have the swagger to get any woman you wanted. I mean, really, you exude confidence and swagger, I think even the coldest of women would swoon over you." Naruto compliments Qrow while the man drank.

The instructor rolls his eyes, "trust me when I say I tried my hand at that a long time ago."

"Yet," Naruto rolled his eyes before finding himself smirking, "you go after the innkeepers."

"What, what can I say, short skirts and maid outfits are my weakness." Qrow admitted as he chuckled, "especially the uniforms that perk up the assets."

Naruto took a deep breath, rolling his eyes as he popped the lid of the beer open and sipped it. "It is not that bad of a fetish…"

"You got a fetish, kid?" Qrow inquired with a chuckle.

Naruto blushed, taking a deep breath, "not really…"

"Bullshit," Qrow points at Naruto as he looked at the blue eyes of the blonde, "and you know it."

"Well," Naruto sipped the beer some more and sighed, "you're not wrong."

Naruto took a deep breath, finishing the beer and tossing it in the recycling trash bin. He looked at Qrow, sighing as he looked at the man, giving him a small smile.

"Hey, Mr. Brawen, thanks…" Naruto smiled and gave him a thumb's up as he walked out of the class.

"Shit kid, like I said you're about to be a goddamn man, call me Qrow. Or, if you hate my guts, call me what usually people call me. Drunk Bastard, or fucker, the formality shit is stupid with me. You're an open book to me, I'm an open book to you," Qrow told Naruto while punching the blonde in the arm with a laugh.

"Right," Naruto rubs the back of his head. "Thanks again Mr.…err…Qrow."

"Don't mention it, catch you on the flipside, now go make yourself some of that mullah, and make sure you give me a cut!" Qrow glares at Naruto playfully.

Naruto rolled his eyes and started walking out of the classroom.

Qrow shrugs, he then finished his bottle and looked at where Naruto left. _'You need to eat more kid…'_

* * *

Naruto was on his scroll, he looked at the account balance, it was reading zero as he took a deep breath and sighed. _"Goddamn thieves man never wants to stop kicking a person that's already down."_

He was bound to get the ten thousand back they had stolen out of his account, a group of hackers had bridged Vale's Banking & Trust company, stealing hundreds of thousands of Liens. This included Naruto's, which he made sure to add to the shit list.

If he ever found them.

Taking a moment, looking at the other teens being greeted by their parents, he just sighed and began his walk back toward the train station. They were right, he needed to eat more, if it wasn't for the free lunches then he wouldn't have eaten today.

His money had gotten stolen a couple weeks ago, last he heard, the bank was dragging on Faunus clients.

It wasn't blatant, it was just under the skin, and it made Naruto's blood boil!

Taking another few steps, his stomach growled, he then looked toward the bright blue sky. How come the sky was so bright, yet he felt so lost in an endless night?

The blonde took a moment and looked at his scroll and saw that it was three o'clock in the afternoon. Meaning he had a couple of hours before he had to meet with the art dealer, he hoped she bought all three of the paintings!

Boarding the train, the blonde took a few steps before taking a seat. He put his headphones in, taking moment to relax and let music pour into his ears. The heavy metal music from Bloody-Zoo began to play in his mind.

He just hopes things would start to look up soon.


	2. Episode Two: An Artistic Deal

"So," an elderly woman wearing her Sunday's best looked at the paintings, "this is known as The Fox's Flame?"

Naruto nodded, he rubbed the back of his head, "I painted it using ink and coloring. It was meant to be influenced by Mistralian Techniques of one stroke painting."

"I can see that parts of the hair here, the most detailed parts, were done in one very slow stroke. You must've dipped the brushes to where only the strands you needed had painted. The hair is very detailed, very beautiful, and the proportions are on point." Mirabella hummed and looked at the red-haired woman as she held a flame in her hand, "can you tell me the story behind it?"

"My mother, she's the inspiration for the Fox Faunus in the picture. She had a semblance, though she never really used it much, it looked like a flame, but it made plants around the house grow." Naruto chuckled a little bit as he pointed at the various flora he colored in, "her favorite flower is at her feet, Sunflowers."

"Ah, I see, very beautiful. It is inspiring to see the technique, that takes so long to master properly, being used expertly by such a young man. For this painting, I have to, unfortunately, say, that I cannot hope to buy from you." Mirabella stated as she crossed off the painting on her notepad.

Naruto looked at her, "why not?"

"It is a painting of your mother my child, you should hang it up by her urn rather than sell it," Mirabella says to the young man, she moved over to the next one.

She looked at it, quite perplexed at the location, it had a forest overlooking a desert, with a cherry blossom tree on a hillside. She nodded, it was quite beautiful, an oil painting. She smiled, feeling of the picture, finding several layers of the paint to help make shading look more realistic.

"This is one is perplexing, the desert reminds me of Vacuo, but the flora seems to be of Mistralian origin. Just like the picture of your mother, I find this to be engorged with a story, but this is one I can buy. So, which country is this set in?" She inquired, rather impressed at the workmanship.

Naruto found himself smiling a little bit, a rare thing, "Menagerie."

"Is Menagerie truly this beautiful," Mirabella rubbed her chin a little bit, "given the critters that live there."

The smile faded from Naruto, "and what do you mean by critters?"

"Oh, heavens, I didn't mean it in the racial slang. I'm talking about the fauna that lives there, with the dangers, it is hard to believe that such beauty can exist there." She looked at Naruto as she rubs the back of her head, "I do apologize if you took the meaning the wrong way."

"No, no, you're fine." Naruto waived the concern as he took a moment to smile once more, "so…how much are you willing to offer me?"

"Hmm, well, giving the quality it is superb. However, as you are to be considered a freelancer and rather unknown. I'll, give or take, three thousand liens." The woman got her checkbook, "and from I understand that is fair."

Naruto nods and agreed with her while rubbing the back of his head, "yeah, sure, sounds fair.

She signed the check, handing it to him, he took it and smiled. She then went to the last painting, looking at it, she smirked as she already knows what it was. "Ah, Kitsune, the holy angels of the field."

"My mom talked about them a lot, saying that our family symbol is of a Nine-Tailed Fox because one supposedly saved my great-great-great grandmother. But, you know, things were more mystical back in the days before people made wonderous machines." Naruto spoke as he worded exactly what his mother had told him.

She smiled, "you're a very smart young man. This painting can be top dollar to a third party. So, I'll go ahead and give three thousand as a down payment for it. If I sell it for more than six thousand, I'll happily give half the proceeds to you."

He held out his hand while speaking, "fair enough to me."

She took it, shaking it, "I look forward to seeing more of your work next time."

"Give me about a month or so, I'm getting ready to graduate Signal and head into Beacon." Naruto told her as he stretched, "and I am going to get slammed with work from then on."

"Indeed, well, goodbye Mr. Namikaze. I shall send my men in to collect the two paintings. I'll be sure to put in a good word for you if you wish to give me your scroll number, I'll even hand out contact info to patrons." She insisted as she flipped her notepad, "some of my clients are collectors of fine art and are high profile."

"Hmm, like who?" Naruto inquired, tempted to know who'd would work with her.

"Gale Akahana, you know her as the frontwoman of the band Iris Connection. I also have a contact from Atlas, a Weiss Schnee and she pays good money too, then there's Iskandar Azula frontman of…" She went to talk but stopped when she heard Naruto suddenly squeal.

"Thee Iskandar, as in Bloody-Zoo Iskandar?!" Naruto's eyes lit up with stars.

She nodded, watching him smile brightly, "my oh my, someone must be a fan."

"I am, I got some of their merch, along with Wari Demons. They're supposed to be in town next weekend, and I am so stoked!" Naruto then rubbed the back of his head while blushing, 'so-sorry, just really excited."

Mirabella laughed, patting his shoulder, "ah young man, you're fine."

"But," she then made her way toward the door, "I do know who to contact first."

"R-really, c-cool!" Naruto stutters as he had a bright smile.

The door opened as she neared it, two burly men came into Naruto's apartment, they took the two pictures into their arms as they walked toward the door. Mirabella smiled, she nodded her head before closing his door.

The blonde laughed, it grew to be louder as he fell back, "yes!"

Naruto looked at the check in his hands, jumping up and down while fist-pumping, "I got a dealer, Dattebayo!"

He then heard someone pounding at his door, _"you damned Faunus brat, keep it down!"_

The blonde pouted and crossed his arms when he heard a door slam close no sooner than a man came out yelling at his. He huffed, glaring at his door before turning back to his paycheck. Three thousand liens took care of his food expenses this entire month and gave him the ability to afford better food than the T.V dinners he ate.

"Pfft," Naruto dismissed the man's yelling. "Friendly neighbor my ass…"

The blonde yawns, intent to take a nap before going to ATM later on to deposit the check. Walking into his room, clothes strewn about on the floor. The Fox Faunus just removes his shirt and pants, wearing only his froggy underwear. On the wall, by the mirror, hanging on it was old sepia photographs showing him and his mother playing in the park.

He was but a two-year-old at the time, the pictures were taken by his father. Wherever that bastard was Naruto hoped he choked, he will miss out on the days Naruto finally graduates and finally takes his first steps into manhood.

On his back, just near his tailbone was a scar. It was aged, from a time he was a child and had an accident. More specifically, he fell down a staircase after somehow getting out his crib and cut his lower back open nearly broke his tailbone.

Taking look at himself in the mirror, Naruto flexes, revealing toned muscles underneath very little baby fat. He was lean, not built like one of those "gods" with all the bulging muscles from bodybuilders.

Though Naruto would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous out how girls swooned over them. He wasn't looking to date but being attractive wasn't exactly so bad either. Staring at himself in the mirror, taking a moment to observe the whisker marks on his face.

Dismissing his thoughts, Naruto just yawns and stretches before climbing into his bed. Covering himself up in the quilt, it was cool outside, but not cold enough to the turn the heat up. He'd wake up in a few hours, make his way over to the bank's ATM and then go grocery shopping.

* * *

Naruto was walking the streets of Vale, intent to visit his bank's ATM to deposit the checks. He whistled the tune to the newest Bloody-Zoo song and hummed at the lower notes. He moved his feet, slightly dancing to the music as he bopped his head.

The blonde fox Faunus was crossing the street at a red light, only to hear the screeching of tires, he turned around and barely jumped over a car. He watched as the vehicle was being followed by several police cars, with one stopping.

"Hey, you okay?!" The officer shouted out of the window.

"Y-yeah, I'm good, need help?" Naruto inquired as he heard the cops giving chase.

"No, just stay out of the area!" The officer ordered Naruto before speeding off.

The blonde rolled his ocean blue eyes as he walked toward the ATM, he took a deep breath as he used his code and entered the pin with it. He saw the screen flash, asking him to scan his scroll, he got his scroll out of his pocket and scanned it.

Naruto hummed as it switched to a Wari Demon song, he bopped his head up and down to the beat, scan the checks over the scanner when prompted. He smiled as he saw the funds immediately get put into his account.

He had an art dealer one time skirt him on a deal…he had been so pissed off that he gave up painting for a few weeks. Just staring at blank canvases, wondering if it was even worth it to continue trying any more.

Naruto took a deep breath, his ears suddenly straight up upon hearing a puddle splash behind him. The blonde barely had time to react as a man tried to stick a gun in his face, the Faunus knocked the gun away just as the man squeezes the trigger, making the fox ears that Naruto head ring.

The man yells as he tried to move and shoot Naruto, it was obviously a junky by the crazed look in his eyes. They were also dilated, glazed over, meaning that the man was currently high as a kite right now.

Backstepping, Naruto managed to bring his leg up to kick the man's gun out of his hand and into the air. Using his speed, enhanced by his aura, Naruto pummeled the man in the face with several jabs before hooking right foot under the man's foreleg and tripping him. The blonde followed up by slamming his shoulder into the man as he fell to the ground. Catching the gun as it fell back down, Naruto used his knee to hold the man down while pointing the gun in the man's face. He chambered a round in it, showing the guy he was serious about defending himself.

He looked right into the man's eyes, speaking with a slight hiss in his voice, "stay down."

His heart was pounding, he could hear the blood rushing in all of his ears, it took everything Naruto had to keep a level head. The teen got his scroll out with one hand, pressing the emergency button on it while holding the gun to the junkie's face.

The junkie yells, "get the fuck off me, Faunus bastard!"

Naruto kept pressing his knee into the man, holding the gun at him.

 _"_ _Do it…squeeze the trigger…"_ he heard a voice inside of his head, _"go on…he tried to kill you. He's fair game, C'mon, you'll have to do it eventually, shoot him…shoot…him."_

Gritting his teeth, growling Naruto's eyes changed from blue to red rapidly, like a pulse, he looked right into the man's eyes.

As much as he hated Atlas Academy, they did instill some leadership skills into him, but he had always been the point man of any group project. Taking the first lead, taking first hits, taking the first steps forward. He had no fear, save the fear of himself, and that helps save himself from himself.

It also taught him discipline, trigger discipline since he had to train with firearms. Naruto held the man down, slowly letting off the trigger. He heard sirens coming, taking a deep breath the blonde just removed the gun's clip, taking it apart before tossing the parts into a pile near the parking lot they were in.

"What the hell man, get off me!" The junkie continues to scream.

"Shut your mouth," Naruto glares right into the man's eyes as he speaks, "or I'll bust your teeth out, Dattebayo."

Some people were just weaker than others. Junkies like this man probably had a hard life and fell into the drugs, but it still didn't give him leniency. The blonde heard the sirens getting closer, watching the junkie panic.

Naruto watches as an LEO car finally pulled up, two officers got out, "hands!"

Naruto raises his hands up, "this guy tried to attack me, some frigging junkie!"

"Alright kid, go over there with officer Oakwood, please." Naruto nodded, going over toward where the Faunus officer was.

Oakwood was a tall Faunus man, he was an ox Faunus, having two large horns on his head, just above his ears. He watches as the Fox Faunus walks over to him, rain began to drop in the area as Naruto watches the human officer cuff the junkie when he tried to run.

"You alright there, son?" The officer inquired, "looks like you kicked that guy's ass."

"I'm a student from Signal, I learned how to fight." Naruto answered as he rubbed his cheek, "damn it…"

"Yeah, looks like a round scratched your face there. Don't worry, a band-aid and some sab will do you some good. Good takedown, did he have a weapon?" Oakwood inquires as he got out his notepad.

Naruto nods, "yeah, I disassembled right next to your guy right there. I had pinned to the ground with it until you arrived and figured I'd break it down so he couldn't just grab it from me and use it."

"Very clever," the officer looks at his partner. "Yo, Cleave, pretty much open and shut."

"Yeah, I got the bastard, I see the gun parts right there. Guy has a broken jaw," Cleave laughs as he looked at Naruto. "Got one hell of a right hook don't ya?"

"So, I've been told," Naruto admits while rubbing the back of his head. "Do you need anything from me…officer Oakwood?"

"Ah, yes actually, I need your full name along with your residence. We'll be checking the footage, so we can confirm your story, worst-case scenario you'll just get a call from us to come down to the station to give an official report." Oakwood got his notepad ready, shielding from the rain with his head.

"Name?" Oakwood inquires.

"Naruto Namikaze, I live in Blackwood, Clarity Apartments, apartment four-twenty." Naruto tells him, "that it?"

"Yep." Oakwood nods toward Cleave, who drags the junkie toward the car.

The blonde watches the man walk away, "take care of yourself Mr. Namikaze."

"Will do officer," Naruto checks his scroll to make sure the check went in, it had but it was still pending on deposit.

* * *

A few days went by since he had finally gotten money into his account, he was walking toward his dance class for the evening. He was learning several dances, waltz and foxtrot, tango, and even modern dancing.

He personally loved the tango, since it was high energy and still uninformed enough to have style.

Wearing a nice set of clothes than he usually wore, Naruto walked inside of the studio, his grey tuxedo with a red undershirt, he wore a pair of black pants. The blonde dressed for the day's musical choice of tango.

Some of the men there wore similar suits, some of them just came in casual clothing. The blonde, however, for all intents and purposes, loved to dress and dance in the class. He always dressed in nicer clothing for these types of things.

Naruto looked at some of the women and girls there, all of them his age or above, there was one elderly woman there with her husband. Many of the women wore very conservative dresses, but a couple wore a very stylish one piece with the right side of the skirt cropped up to reveal some leg.

The instructor for the day, a young woman that was in her late twenties, walked in with her dress. It was a white show dress, she had a rose in her blue hair as she took a deep breath. She was small, petite, for her age, she actually stood shorter than Naruto.

She wore her hair in a ponytail and had a silver talisman on her neck.

"Welcome everyone~" She cheerful sang out as she walked in step to the music.

"Welcome to the Tango Class. I am Paloma Estilo, you're head instructor for the next couple of hours." She tells them while looking at the students, "and I see we have a few returning students."

The woman snapped her fingers, "my friends, partner up with a lovely lady…or man~"

Naruto saw two girls pair up, and even a couple of guys. He slightly smiled, he then watched as others paired up and waited until he could see anyone remaining. However, this time, the class was perfectly even saved for himself.

The instructor chuckled, walking over toward Naruto, "sir…may we?"

Naruto smiled, "sure thing, Ms. Estilo."

Naruto took her hand, she led him to the front of the class, "now ladies and gentlemen. All you have to do is get into the beat of the music."

"Allow me to show you with this young man," she grabbed Naruto's hands while placing one down to the side, "walk with me."

"See how I walk with my young friend here ladies and gentlemen, he leads me, let the dominant partner lead and you follow suit." She instructed, watching as the others did so, she nodded and smiled as felt Naruto as he raises his hand up.

"Now, the dominant partner, will raise their hands up and twirl their other half!" She loudly says with a wide smile on her face as Naruto twirled her.

She then reversed the twirl, coming back into his arms, "and you shall always return to your partner afterward."

"This is basic," she stated as she and Naruto began to walk again, with her secretly leading up until the dominant must lead.

She watched the class do this a few times before she turned toward Naruto, smiling and then nodding as he began to take charge and lead. She and he got into the beat of the music, and she looked at her students, all the while she kept Naruto close to her.

"Now the tango, it is an energetic dance and passion will run high during it." She suddenly jerked Naruto's up, "and in doing so somethings will be said!"

She walked away but stilled held Naruto right hand, he faced away from her, "and its up to the dominant partner to bring the other half back under his wing."

Naruto brought her back with a twirl, she leaned back, charging the atmosphere with passion as she looked up at the teen. She was showing the flair of the dance but made sure to keep it strictly as undercharged sexually as possible.

"Your love is my love, dance with me, oh dance with me~" She sang out to the music and grabbed his hands as they backed away and walked toward each other to the beat.

Shaking their hips as they did.

The class followed suit, with Naruto chuckling slightly, "I think I've gotten much better."

"You have," Paloma agreed as she was twirled, "and I can see a lighter side of you since you been coming here."

Naruto brought her close, not too close, "I enjoy dancing. It releases negative emotions and allows me to practice combat."

"Ooh~" Paloma whistled as she walked backward and made Naruto follow her, "well, young warrior I hope you still practice after you go to Beacon~"

"Hehe," Naruto chuckled as they twirled each other, "well thank you."

"So," she speaks with a smile, "a young man must have a broken heart or two?"

"Nah, not my style." Naruto replies as he twirled her, "what's playing right now?"

"Adam Sola, The Dance of The Dragon Prince." She told him and then pushed him away, "a very easy song to get into."

"I can see why," Naruto stated as he moved his hips, turning sideways toward her as he approached.

"Anyway, I had a favor to ask, since you been coming here several months. I am going to go around after class today, asking students if they'd like to volunteer in the homeless shelter in a couple weeks." She looked right into his eyes, "are you interested?"

Naruto nodded, "I'd love to Ms. Estilo!"

"Then you're signed on, oops, you're supposed to dip me on this part." She smiled as she was dipped, with her legs sliding back on the ground before he lifted her back up.

Both of them laughed a little, continuing through the dance lessons.

* * *

Naruto walked back into his apartment, he felt energized as he quickly gathered his painting materials. He linked his scroll to a speaker set, it began to play the song he heard the school. He looked at the easel and licked the tip of pencil he had in his hand.

He began to draw the outline of his painting, creating a vibrant figure from within his head. It was going to be one of those paintings he'd work all weekend on, and he'd enjoy it with great fervor!

Losing himself into the image, the music, he continued to draw. Coming toward the end of his outline of the basic character structure. Since he was supposed to be making a dancing prince, he made the outline figure more lifelike and in motion.

The figure had one of his hands held up, with another hand tuck near his stomach, mid-turn.

He quickly began to draw, more and more, now adding in the basic features. Time began to pass quickly, night falling even quicker, it was one in the morning as he finished the drawing of the painting. He looked back at it, taking in what he accomplished in the last five hours.

He always had a habit of losing himself in art.

By the time he came out of his trance the songs had cycled over in his playlist, it was currently on some chill music, an artist by name of Killer Bee. The blonde hummed, nodding and then yawning as he stretched.

He walked toward the couch, deciding that he'd just crash there for the night. He plopped down, turning some videos on his scroll. Gaming channels from around Vale, and others. Deathlypie23, Minichad, and even Hoodinigaming.

The young man wasn't into video games, he just loved to see the comedy sketches and the stuff they did with basic games. Especially Minichad, he had the most creative content and didn't stick to just one series of things to get his stuff out.

That and The Gaminglime, now that Valetuber knew how to create some funny videos.

Sunday came quickly, Naruto unlocked his apartment door and entered with a handful of groceries. He set the groceries on his kitchen counter, looking at his scroll as he began to play the voice recording from Mr. Xiao-Long's classes.

He took a deep breath as he got out a pot, filling it with water to boil, he got his noodles out and added it to the water before it boiled. Quickly, he began to reach and began to chop various peppers and vegetables he got out from the bags.

When he finished doing that, he put the contents in a cup before adding it into the pot, he then opened up the oven and pulled out a pan. He got the chicken out of its packaging, quickly setting the oven to where it would bake the bird.

His test was next Wednesday, so he had to ready up for it, and if he aced it he would end up receiving tickets. The blonde hummed as he kicked off his shoes and relaxed with a contented sigh. He began to hear the water boil, which meant he needed the oven to quickly heat up.

Upon hearing the beeping, he sent the tray of chicken inside, it was a basic dish, Chicken Miso Ramen. The young man took the time to also lean against the counter, grabbing a small glass bottle of soda, he popped the top off the orangey flavored pop.

He chugged it down, listening to Taiyang give the lesson's from over the week.

Hearing his oven beep again, he opened it up, it had been a few minutes since he put the chicken in there and saw the brown texture of the now baked chicken. Smiling, he grabbed a mitten, reaching into the stove and getting the chicken out.

He quickly sat it on the side, on a counter, and moved the boiling pot off the burner it was on. Turning the stove off in its entirety, Naruto took a large bowl and poured the soup contents into it. He then grabbed a few pieces of chicken, placing it in the bowl.

Having walked toward a small table, Naruto pulled up a seat and listened to the sound of Mr. Xiao-Longs voice as he ate his meal.

Staring at a picture of his mother he had set up in a chair, he looked at it and chuckled slightly, "I swear when I bring a girl here one day…she'll think I'm a weirdo…but…"

"I," he stopped eating and looked at her, "feel as though I can talk to you like this."

"I have my highs and lows mom, I am high on life right now, no doubt sooner or later I'll hit another low. Each time I wake up, I struggle, because you aren't there…and no one is…" Naruto teared up slightly as he looked at her picture.

Some slipped down his face, "but I promised you that I'd try to live. On my lowest days mom, I always feel something warm hold me, is it you? I don't know, I find it hard to believe in God or Gods, or whatever is out there."

"But," Naruto then smiled sadly at the picture, "I am trying to not pick up another knife…tie another noose or look at another pistol again."

"It is hard talking like this, I'm too scared to go to a psych, scared to get _help_ from people I don't know." Naruto spoke from his heart, "I just…don't trust people."

"Ilia," he remembered his best friend, "I wonder if you're looking over her as well…she's probably doing okay…I guess."

"Flynt and Katt don't text me anymore, they haven't texted me in months…I guess that friendship was just…meh." Naruto then laughed a little bit, "I'm wanting to just ramble on about things…clear my chest."

Naruto then smiled brightly, "but I do all of this for myself, and to carry on…like you wanted me too."

Tears fell from his face, he then wiped away as he looked at his mom. Closing his eyes as he smiled, imagining her sitting in front of him.

"I love you."


	3. Episode Three: Red Flower

It's rather funny how things can quickly become serious, especially even in the life a Huntsman in training. Everyone in their profession must keep their guard up, Naruto was no different, his ears shot up as he heard the crunching twigs and howls of death.

Beowolfs, he glares at the forest just near the clearing he was in. His hand hovered near his blade as saw a tree branch, leaves dropping from it. They were trying to surround him, a common strategy for their brand of monster.

Superiority through numbers, but that only matter if they could match the strength of their target. Naruto's fox ears moved with the sounds of the barking, the howls, and the growling. Picking, locating, and estimating how many of them were there.

The blonde took a step forward, just as one came barreling out towards him. Like a bat out of hell, the beast screams and roars, its maw wide open. However, Naruto slashes his sword upward upon grabbing it from the scabbard, cutting the beast in half.

Just as he cut that one in half another one tried to come from behind, but his faunus ears easy alerted him. He jumped up, letting the beast run under him before drops down slams the blade into the beast's head.

The Hunting Test had begun.

A test where a Huntsman/Huntswoman would have to track a pack of Grimm down, defeat them, and maintain decent amounts of aura. Meaning that Naruto had to take out the pack he managed to track down, relatively easily, and all he had to do was kill them before he dropped into the color just above red…orange.

The Aura Counter, a Huntsmen's key indicator, and best friend lets anyone with a brain know that they needed to back off, greenish blue was perfect, while green was lightly damaged, yellow meant the shield around you was moderately damaged, orange meant it was heavily damaged, and red meant you were broken through or nearly broken.

That was his exam, Naruto had managed to dodge two that tried to attack him simultaneously. He rolled forward, ducking under their claws before jumping to his feet and turning on his heel and slashing one in half.

A green crystal glowed on the blade of his sword, a dust crystal. Naruto growled as the other one retreated into the woods, this pack wasn't like normal Beowolfs, they weren't stupid enough to just keep coming.

They were testing his defense, but as for them he had a surprise for them. Taking a few steps forward, placing his sword back into its scabbard, the wind howled around Naruto continued to channel aura into the blade.

Suddenly three came running from the forest, Naruto roars as he slashes his sword straight from the scabbard. A wave of sharp wind traveled the blade, bisecting two of them mid run before the third one hopped over it. It's reward Naruto simply leaping at it and spearing through the chest with his sword. Slamming it into the ground, Naruto pulled his blade from the ground where it impaled all the way through and slashes at another Beowolf.

The blonde barely missed when it backed step but stepped forward in order to stab through its chest. The fighting style he developed over the years was a mix between the books his dad wrote and left behind, while mixing his Atlas's instructors swordplay and his dancing.

The stunned Beowolf coughs a red substance before Naruto vertically cut its upper body in half. All the while he could hear more coming, he just snarls and leans forward in time to avoid one coming from behind him. Following through Naruto hopped up and caught the midsection of the Beowolf between his thighs and slammed it into the ground before stabbing it in the chest.

On his knees several demonic wolves charge from the forest, some even having armor on them in the form of bone. Rolling his eyes, Naruto rolls forward while grabbing his blade before running at the nearest one.

The blonde hops over him while slicing apart another that leapt up to intercept him. Flipping forward, landing on his feet, Naruto spun on his heel and slicing the forearms off a Beowolf that tried to grab him. Two more scream and run at him, only for the blonde to charge at them and sheath his chokuto, right when they were about to reach him, he slices forward.

In a display of lightning quick speed Naruto simply stood behind them, they soon fell to pieces before turning into dust. With the gale dust crystal depleted Naruto pulls it out of his sword, tossing it behind him before kicking it as hard as he could.

The depleted sails, landing in the skull of a charging Beowolf. It skids to a stop before collapsing and dying. The blonde spun the sword in his hand until he reversed gripped and slammed it back into the scabbard.

He used his Faunus ears to scan the area, it was deathly silent, which meant there was still some in the immediate area.

Taiyang was in a nearby tree, his scent was camouflaged and so was his emotions. He looked at Naruto, he was marking his grades down on a piece of paper. He was glad the teen wasn't letting his guard down, he had to yell at his daughter at the end of her test.

She let her guard down and lost a bit of her aura for the trouble. There was a reason why though he had to take people on one at a time for these exams.

These tests were done one on one, so that the Grimm wouldn't pick up on other people's worry or scent, just in case, it went after an instructor. Taiyang watched as the blonde stood there, noting how The Beowolfs just seemed to almost ignore his presence.

Despite being literally surrounded.

 _'_ _He can dampen his emotions enough to hide if needed, not bad, but a bit troubling for someone so young…you've got around thirteen of these beasts left to handle, what will you do?'_ Taiyang observed as he saw the younger blonde back away and head for a tree.

He watches Naruto loaded another gale crystal into the slot, he presses a button making it lock in place. Looking at the surrounding area, Naruto saw a few large trees and damped his emotions further while sprinting towards one.

Naruto made Red Flower turn into its bow form, he hopped up into a tree and stood on a large branch. He then knelt down, angling his bow to where he could line up on the lead Beowolf as it emerged out of the forest with its pack. He took a deep breath, channeling aura into it, specifically focusing it on the gale dust crystal at the center of the bow where his arrow would fly from.

Taking a deep breath, he stood up as he pulled back the bowstring and formed an arrow with gale dust around it.

He stood up, the air whipping around him as the heavily armored Alpha of the group smelt the air. It then turned toward Naruto, who was probably caked in sweat, despite it being balmy outside.

As the lead charged, Taiyang heard a boom emanate from the tree, watching as an orange colored shard of energy with the wind swirling around it flew from the canopy and sunk right into the lead Beowolf's head. He then heard two more booms as a couple more Beowolfs charged, only to watch the arrows impact their heads with ease as well.

Blowing their heads up from the force. Naruto used his full fist to create a trio of aura arrows before standing up enough to where the other Beowolfs could see him.

Naruto then leaped from the tree, aiming down, firing all the arrows at Beowolfs positioned below and nailing them all in vital areas. As he started to drop down, he formed his weapon back into its sword mode, and pulled the blade from its scabbard and sunk it into a Beowolf that tried to leap up.

Kicking the Beowolf off his blade when he landed the Fox Faunus's ears stood tall as he saw the rest surround him.

"Come get it," Naruto taunts them while holding his sword in reverse while holding his scabbard.

Using the scabbard as well, which was hardened metal on the outside, Naruto turned around and whacked a Beowolf in the head as he ran toward them. Almost dancing in the way, he spun, he leaned back to avoid one slashing at him as he spun, bisecting it as he made another spin on the rain-soaked ground.

He kicked his foot up, sending mud flying into one's eyes before slicing its head off.

He wore no armor, he couldn't afford any sort of fancy outfit, so he wore a casual red T-shirt and black pants that were currently getting mud stains all over them. The benefit of it was at least he was lightweight, and it helped that he moved fast, and Taiyang made sure to jot that down in his report to send to Beacon.

Like he did with every student.

Naruto stopped spinning, but then rolled forward, staining his hair with dark brown mud. He got up, his eyes flaring red as he suddenly spun on his heel and a wave of aura left his sword. This surprised Taiyang since that was a projection technique, something only that could be taught and trained.

Then again, Naruto was always the visual learner, and he could learn anything once he started to practice it.

He wasn't dumb, he knew Naruto had also copied his combat style to a degree but added changes. Which is why when Naruto slung the scabbard and threw it to where it destroyed the head of a Grimm, he roared out with a might backfist and hit another with such a force to turn it around before stabbing it through.

Mud, rain, and dark substances flew in the air.

With time moving in slow motions around Naruto as he became focus. Out of the original amount of Beowolfs, only seven were left. Naruto took a moment, slinging his sword and activating the gale crystal within it.

It blasted the area around himself, knocking them all back in a gale explosion of mud and rain, the dirtied blonde clicked the blade back into his scabbard, putting it at his hip. He watched as the seven circled him, he looked at one that had a particular eye on his head.

Reaching down, crouching, Naruto made a tight grip on his blade, ready to slash at anything coming his way.

All of them charged at once!

Naruto's eyes burned red, glowing as he spun and unleashed his blade and the gale crystal at the same time. All of the Beowolfs and any raindrop within four meters of his area were sliced down any middle they were angled with Naruto.

Some got cut in half, some got their head lobbed off, and others got their lower midsection cut down instead!

Naruto took a deep breath, slinging his sword as if he was cleaning blood from it, he then sheathed it back into his scabbard, he looked at his aura counter via a strap on his left arm that he always held his scroll in.

He hadn't dropped out of green, nor had he been hit once!

Taiyang was about to call the test, but then he stood up on his branch as something crashed it's way toward Naruto, his eyes widened as he noticed what it was. It was tall, standing about nine feet high, it had a large ugly frame that was similar to an Ursa, but no fur and had a humanoid frame with long tusk-like teeth protruding from his upper and lower lips.

It roared out, smacking the ground, giving off a sense of dread where it went.

An Ogre.

Naruto took a deep breath and got ready, holding his sword out still in its scabbard.

The beast growls, stalking toward Naruto, smacking the ground as it went with its long arms. The blonde in front of him just spat at the ground as he pressed the button on his scabbard to turn Red Flower into its bow mode.

It beats it's chest, screaming at Naruto, like the beast that it was. Naruto readied himself as he took steps forward. He readied an aura arrow, cycling dust through it, making wind swirl around the very tip of the energetic arrow. The Ogre growls, stepping faster toward Naruto, its knuckles dragging across the ground.

The beast roared out, walking toward Naruto, it shook the ground a few meters from where it stepped from its heavy stepping. It glared at Naruto with dark red eyes, it roars out, smacking its chest. Naruto didn't waiver, which displayed courage against the creature as his eyes burned alight with red once more.

The Ogre Grimm continued to walk toward Naruto, screaming at the young blonde as it smacked it chest once more before running at him. Naruto took a deep breath, overdrawing his bow as he backed up, running backward.

The beast slowly closed in, but Naruto then focused solely on the chink of the armor. Growing the arrow in power, consuming more of his aura, dipping it into the yellow.

Growing in size, the arrow became sharper at the end, and then as Naruto was just a few meters away he fired the arrow. The beast's roar echoed out as he failed to dodge the arrow, the arrow smacked it in the face and the armor broke across the head.

Naruto had aimed for the eye, but the beast's last-second move of his head made the arrow miss. He quickly got his sword mode engaged and dodged the slamming of the beast's hands that were meant to squash him on the ground.

Taiyang was about to intervene but found that Naruto was easily holding his own, the blonde dodged to the right as it smacked the ground where he had been. He then activated the gale crystal and sliced at the armor, breaking it from the force.

The young teen then blasts himself away. Manipulating his aura to gain gale dust into the air in order to dodge the beast spinning around and attempting to hit him with a backfist. Sliding on the mud and going backward, Naruto somersaults into the air, landing on a tree branch as he engages the bow mode.

Naruto aimed the bow, pulling his entire fist on the string, overdrawing it, "Red flower!"

"Roar!" Naruto blasted the arrows as they took energy from the gale crystals, a light streak followed them as they headed right for The Ogre.

The Ogre dodged to the right, avoiding two of them, but one smacked him right on the chest and blew away the armor surrounding it.

The young man stood up the tree, looking at his scroll, he was reading in the lower eighties now. Scoffing, Naruto took a moment and reached into a small pouch he had in his back pocket. He pulled out a red crystal, burn dust.

The Ogre roared out, watching at Naruto jumped up to the top of the tree, standing at the very top and balancing himself on one leg as he overdrew the bow. It was overdrawn much larger than normal, to the point it looked like the gravity dust in the enhanced string could snap at any moment.

The blonde then channeled a sizeable piece of aura into the arrow, making it larger and channeling it through the gale crystal as well. Suddenly the aura ignited into flames, having wind swirling at the tip, Naruto's eyes widened as they glowed much brighter.

"Lance Shot," Naruto pulled the string just back a little bit further as he spoke, he then fired the arrow which made a loud screech in the air.

The Ogre's eyes widened as he brought his fists up to block, thickening his forearms with a black substance before the arrow impacted. It blew up, literally, creating a fireball that evaporated nearby rain and dried wet mud almost instantly.

Several meters wide, the fireball dispersed, leaving the Ogre missing a left arm and all of its armor.

Naruto dropped down from the tree, landing in what little mud he could to break the fall, he knelt in it after landing, switching the weapon back to its sword mode. Suddenly, the ogre groaned, moving its disabled right arm out of its face.

The dirtied blonde gripped his sword, taking a deep breath, "it's over."

Taiyang watched as Naruto ran full force, jumping up before mixing gale dust into the sword before turning midair and slicing!

Landing with the thud on the dry mud, Naruto clicked his sword just as the head of The Ogre fell off.

No hard feelings, simply just a job to be done. Walking away, Naruto watched as Taiyang dropped down from the tree, "that was a very good hunt."

"Thanks," Naruto took a moment to stretch as he accepted the praise, "and I'm guessing I aced it?"

Taiyang rolled his eyes, holding the tickets out, "have fun, brat."

Naruto couldn't help but chuckled, "thanks."

* * *

Back in the classroom everyone was discussing how they did, Naruto saw the bully talking to his duo of friends. Bragging, he talked about he took on several Beowolfs without his weapon. The blonde knew better, a mace couldn't possibly be used in such a fast motion.

More than likely the guy got off easy, tracking a very small pack.

Meanwhile he could hear laughing, he saw where the buxom lilac eyed blonde was just bragging to her friends about punching the face off a Beowolf. Rolling his eyes, Naruto laid his head down at the desk, ready to take a nap before going to the concert tonight.

When the bell rang Naruto got up, packing his satchel with him. Walking out into the streets of Patch Town he saw Qrow on the scroll with someone, he didn't want to interrupt and figured he'd just talk to the man tomorrow.

He saw Taiyang talking to two girls, one with black hair that slowly changed to red the further it went down. Another, the buxom blonde that just exited before him, she was rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

Those two must've been Taiyang's daughters, he bragged about them a lot when not around other people. Sighing, he saw how other students had families around them. It tied a knot into Naruto's stomach, it made him feel sad.

 _"_ _Always alone, forever alone…no one will be there to hug you and hold you."_ The darkness spoke to him, whispering into his very soul.

Dismissive of the crowd Naruto continued into town, walking toward inner part of Patch Town. He saw a store, a costume store. Walking over toward it, he enters it and finds gothic clothing and costumes.

He sighs, he knew a lot of people would be dressed for the event tonight. Walking toward the back he saw some hairspray cans with temporary hair dye in them. He grabbed a red one, after thinking about how his blonde hair would look with red tips.

Walking towards the counter he saw a teenage girl, bout his age, wearing dark makeup and chewing some good.

"That all?" She inquires, though it was with some attitude.

"Yeah, um, how much?" Naruto inquires while getting his scroll ready.

The girl rolls her eyes, "ten liens."

"Alright," Naruto hands her the scroll, watching her scan it.

She watches as he bagged the can, "hey, you going to Bloody Zoo?"

"Yeah, why?" Naruto inquires.

"Should've grabbed the black spray, whole yin and yang thing going with your hair, but whatever…" she told him, though she was rude about it.

Rolling his eyes Naruto walked out of the store, back into the streets.

* * *

Taiyang yawns as he gets into his stride, his daughters walking by him, "so Ruby how as your day?"

"Like every day, just the best, I can't believe I'll be a junior in a couple of months!" Ruby declares with joy.

Her dad rubbed and messed her hair up, eliciting a huff of annoyance from her. Her big sister, the blonde with lilac eyes, laughs at her sister only to get a look from her father.

"I don't know what's so funny, Yang, if you had been a first year student you'd been seriously injured. You've got to pay attention, I can't overstate enough, think before you just go charging in." Taiyang tells his oldest daughter, Yang.

The girl sighs, "yeah…yeah."

"Don't "yeah-yeah" me missy, you've gotta be vigilant. I'm only hard on you this one time because what if it hadn't been a Beowolf, what if it had been King Taijitu?" Taiyang looks at Yang as he questioned her, "I love you sweetie, I just don't want you to end up going out too early."

Yang sighs, "you're right, I'm sorry dad."

"Alright," Taiyang stretches his arms out. "So, a little birdy told me you were trying to go on a date."

"Damn you Iris," Yang growls and crosses her arms, "always the teacher pet…"

Ruby coughs into her hand, smirking at Yang while holding out her hand, "swear jar funds please and thank you."

Yang rolls her eyes, getting out a few liens and handing it to Ruby. The family of three just continued their walk toward their estate. Taiyang chuckled, bumping Ruby with his shoulder a little.

"Last one there buys pizza tonight!" He suddenly yells, running ahead of them.

Ruby yells as she uses her semblance to get ahead of her father, all the while Yang tried to sprint and keep up with them. Using her gauntlets to blast herself forward if necessary, though her dad did the same thing.

* * *

Yang growls as she looked at the pizza receipt, "so much for the date money…"

"Hey pumpkin, look on the bright side of things, you get to spend the weekend with your loving family." Taiyang tells his daughter, "and besides you better come enjoy the pies while their hot."

"Did we really have to order a dessert pizza for Ruby though, I mean, you know how she is around sugar…" she then growls and realizes something, "you did that on purpose…didn't you?"

Taiyang shrugs, "oh my, whatever do you mean."

Growling Yang just stumps over and sits on the couch, "Ruby hand me the all meats please."

"Here you go Yang," Ruby cheerfully says while biting into her cheese and handing her sister her box.

The older teen just watches as a Spruce Willis film comes on, "so, am I allowed to date?"

Taiyang looks at his daughter, chuckling, "oh yeah, sure."

"Really?!" Yang yells, happy to hear that her father approved of her dating.

Taiyang then snorts while almost singing out, "no~"

The lilac eyed girl just gives a frustrated yell, grabbing her pizza, "I'm going to my room!"

Ruby and Taiyang laugh as she stumps up the stairs, "why are we so mean to my big sis for today?"

"Oh, come now Ruby, we aren't being mean, we're just pranking her like she does us sometimes." Tai points out and then smiles, "after all?"

"Karma comes back when you least expect it!" Both of them state at the same time.

Ruby and Tai laugh, father and daughter then turned their attention to the movie. Yang then came back down after she yelled in her room for a moment, flopping back into the couch. She just sighed, pouting a little as she took some pizza into her mouth.

"Yang," the older girl looked down at her sister. "Why do you want to go out with guys so much?"

"Because my friends are going on dates, meanwhile dad is keeping me locked up in here every weekend…" Yang mumbles and made Taiyang chuckle a little bit.

"Well, Yang, you turn seventeen in September. But I bet you another pizza that the concept of dating is just boring, besides boys your age just wants one thing and I'll kill'em." Her father states as he leaned back on the couch.

The young huntress in training just sighed, "but its just a movie date."

"Well…" Taiyang rubbed the back of his head, "no."

"Oh c'mon, Iris and the other girls are going with their dates. Why can't I just pick some random sap to take me out a date?" Yang complains some more, "I wasn't going to do anything afterwards."

 _'_ _Oh yeah…I've said those same words too when I was with your mom, Bada Bing Bada Boom you popped out nine months later, but to be fair that was the senior year in Beacon Academy.'_ Taiyang then sighs and looked at Yang, "its not that I don't trust you, I just don't trust any of the boys that I know of."

Yang finally relents, rolling eyes, "fine…"

"Love you," Taiyang grabbed her shoulder and shook her a little bit.

She sighed, "love you too, dad."

* * *

The blonde took a deep breath as he looked at himself in the mirror, he smiled as he finished the washable red tips in his hair. He was wearing a black leather coat, along with some of the merch of his favorite band which consisted of dark pants with a red dragon riding up the right leg.

His shirt had the band name on it with the image of each member in their "demon" as they played during a concert. Finishing up, Naruto took some black marker and painted around his eyes to bring out the blue, as if they glowed.

It wasn't that he was goth, he was just trying to embrace the full culture. Some people like to make fun of it, but to Naruto, he just wanted to have a good time. Sometimes when going to these things in order to have the best time is to dress the part as well.

Like a Kitsune changing its form to what is needed.

This was the only place he could really feel confident, besides in a fight, since he was probably surrounded by similar people!

He wore footless boots, almost like sandals in a way, but they were also merch from the band.

Naruto walked out of the bathroom, into a crowd as he placed his small amount of "touchup" in his pocket. Currently, music boomed in the large crowd, they all were at Cheshire Theater, the blonde walked into the crowd and bopped his head.

The current band, the opening band, was the second favorite of his. The Mistralian Bay Rockers, they were currently on stage as he walked forward. Going toward the front row, where his seat was, not that it mattered since most of everyone was standing up.

Swaying their hips to the rock/rap hybrid of Mistralian Bay Rockers as they played one of their hits, Naruto couldn't help but do the same. Save he shimmed his shoulders to the beat, spinning on his feet to avoid some women as they walked by him.

Naruto smiled, bopping his head to the music as he got to his seat, he was where the music was the loudest, so he had to plug his Faunus ears to keep them from hurting. He moved to the music, loving the beat, and enjoying.

Naruto and the crowd then screamed, "step back, I'm going to attack, you can't walk all over me anymore Jack!"

The blonde clapped his hands to the beat, enjoying the music as he watched the band enter their little crescendo, and then the beat started to become something easy to dance to as he bopped his head to the music.

As the band ended, they all held up middle fingers, walking off the stage as Naruto and the crowd did the same. It was an unspoken ritual, ever two years ago when they first played in Atlas, and Naruto got hooked in the music.

Supposedly several Atlasian attendees flicked off the band which made them flick them off back, and it kind of descended into a thing.

The band got fined for "obscene behavior in public," but the revenue took care of that and then some.

As the band walked off, suddenly a loud boom occurred, smoke filled the stage as five figures emerged from the smoke. All of them wearing masks that made them look demonic in a way but wore clothing no different than a Huntsman would where.

One spoke in a very deep voice, "welcome to the party…who in here is ready to rock?"

The crowd screamed as they raised their hands up.

Slowly, the light dimmed in the theater, with a flute and guitar beginning to play. The crowds cheering silenced as they listened to the song beginning to play, with Naruto doing the same thing.

"This first song is for our new album, Ire of The Hour, enjoy it." The bandleader stated over the microphone before the music suddenly kicked up.

Drums beating hard.  
The flute in rhythm to the drums.  
Two sets of guitars playing fast notes.  
While the singer got ready.

Naruto and the crowd sang the first part, watching the band began to play more rapidly until suddenly it all stopped. The crowd became confused until the sudden boom of music nearly popped their eardrums, with the band slamming into the beat hard and fast.

The blonde smacked his hands together as he followed the beat, joining the crowd easily enough.

Bloody-Zoo went hard and fast in their new, blasting the theater as well, with him bopping his head hard to music as well. The vibrations of the floor from the playing tingled everyone as they felt the passion in the music.

The song itself!

Naruto smiled, listening to the music, then it hit a slow part with the giant band member Iskandar, the head singer going into the song with a passion.

Iskandar removed his mask, throwing it into one of the crowd members, Naruto frowned as he could've used his training to leap up and grab it. However, he didn't feel worthy enough to do so, and just stayed in the crowd to enjoy the music.

The man on stage was tall, muscular, and had a red beard and hair.

He was known as Iskandar: The Red Demon of Pride!

Iskandar could play guitar but judging by the bandages on his hand he looked like he recently got into a fight, so he couldn't. Naruto loved his riffs, the rhythm of his movements with it, and all of the music the man had ever made and graced Remnant with.

Naruto left the theater, smiling and even getting his picture taken with Iskandar himself during his crowd surf. The man had landed in front of him, posed with his scroll, both sticking their tongues and snapping the photograph.

The blonde was just giddy all around, looking at his luck with profound mirth, his money had also gotten returned earlier today. Life was looking pretty decent, he couldn't lie, he was happy to have woke up this morning.

Even if he held his razor far too long.  
Looked at the window, checking its flexibility and durability to an extent.

Just because he was happy didn't mean the demon went away, it made it silent to an extent, turning loud shouts to very low whispers. In fact, Naruto found that reluctantly that he would always think of a way, even if he made a promise.

Promises are meant to be kept, but sometimes the promise is impossible…

Right now, today, he was happy. His biggest fear, the biggest fear he had since he was a kid, it was the fear of the demon inside of him.

He'd twist people's words, paint them red instead of blue, and replace the smiles with frowns. Loud shouts, screams of wanting the agony to end, perhaps the demon wasn't his tormentor? Maybe he was its tormentor, constantly shoveling the pain downward in a hole that rarely overfilled.

These thoughts of bloodletting filled him up somedays, other days, he'd think of a couple ways. He'd never do it, seeing no point and no having the will.

Besides the time he slit his wrist, there was one other time in Atlas, and it was when his demon started to win again.

It was also the first time he felt wanted in a very long time.

* * *

 _Naruto was sobbing as he looked at his messed up hair, several other teens had ambushed him, holding him down and cutting his hair in places. Nearly cutting off his fox ears, but luckily they showed mercy and didn't cut them._

 _His clothes were ripped, bruising on his left eye and a bloody lip. He picked himself off the ground, the laughter of the group long gone into their dorms. His freshmen year of Atlas Introductory Academy kicked off with pain, horrible pain._

 _New city, new place, new everything._

 _He looked at the cables on the ground, picking up some of them, he took a deep breath as he looked up at the ceiling, he could easily tie some around the sprinkler system and then it just is a short hop off the bench and then never-ending bliss._

 _However, as he got up, he then heard someone gasp. He snapped around, looking at a brown-skinned girl with brown eyes, hair in a ponytail._

 _"Oh my God, are you okay?!" she ran over to him, "I knew I heard crying, hey, you alright?"_

 _Naruto looked at her, sighing, "what do you care…you're just going to laugh at me?"_

 _"I'm not laughing now, am I, what are you doing with that cable?" She inquired, taking it from his hands, noting the wince on his face._

 _She gave him a saddened frown as he looked at his bruises, on how slowly they were healing, she pressed her hand against one._

 _"Why are you helping me, I don't even know you?" Naruto inquires as he felt his head healing._

 _She chuckled, "because I need to stop you from doing something stupid, you're wanted you to you know…Naruto."_

 _"How do you know my name?" He questioned._

 _She finished with his eye, "I know your name because I know Flynt…"_

 _"My name is Ilia Amitola…would you like me to stay in here with you until a teacher gets in here?" She inquired in return while answering his question._

 _Naruto bit his lip, then he sighed before nodding, "I'm sorry…"_

 _"Don't you dare say you're sorry, you're not at fault here, you're not the bully that did this to you. Don't apologize for someone's ignorance, just push through it…friend." Ilia stated, smiling at him, "and don't ever think you're not wanted."_

 _Naruto's face pressed itself into her shoulder, crying and sobbing._

 _Ilia looked at the blonde, she then brought her arms around him to comfort him._

* * *

Naruto walked inside his apartment, walking toward the window, he looked at the full shattered moon. Taking a look at the bright celestial object, with the many shattered rocks around it. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

 _Ilia stood next to him._

Music played in the background of his apartment, music he had selected to play so he could get started on painting The Dragon Prince.

Naruto swayed to the music, planning to take a shower as soon as he got done painting the first three layers, he took a moment to allow a tear to roll down on his eye. He missed the feeling of his hand being held, the feeling of something bumping against his shoulder.

A friend to share his pain with.

"How, how I wish you were…here…" Naruto smiled as he pressed his hand on the glass, imagining his best friend standing there beside him, and then he felt more tears fall down his face as his smile grew.

He felt a warm feeling in his chest, "wish you were here, Ilia."


	4. Episode Four: Birthday Blues

October Tenth.

Naruto stood in his room, it was now one week before graduation, taking a deep breath he finished his latest painting. He backed away, it was a white-haired woman with defined features, wielding two blades. A request had come in, Weiss Schnee of all people, requesting a portrait of her sister, of course, she didn't know his face.

The painter she had patronaged, he chose to keep it hidden on the call, and had gotten a down payment of five thousand Liens to start the job. He managed to paint Winter Schnee with vibrant detail, she was in the midst of holding swords at the ready.

All of this of a single photo Weiss Schnee had given as part of the deal.

Luckily, he'd never have to meet the girl in person.

Rap and hip-hop music played in the background of his apartment, he had been making a note play more upbeat music when using lighter colors. Thanks to the new flow of income, Naruto had enough money to get him through the first year at Beacon.

Classes weren't cheap there, and to get access to the cafeteria and such was costly in of itself.

Four year students in Beacon, if you didn't take the graduation exam early in the third year, could run easily one hundred thousand liens before it was all set and done. That was on classes alone, room and board added another fifty thousand, material supplies added to a fair share of twenty-five thousand.

That twenty-five thousand was due at the beginning of each year mind you!

The cafeteria, since it was filled with just what Naruto could describe from the list, all the food. The blonde saw the bill at the bottom, it was heavy, a whopping thirty thousand a year heavy!

Either you were well loved by the community and you got a free pass, or you were a blue blood. Anything less than that, unfortunately with Naruto fitting the bill, he'd have to bust his ass to make it good. Perhaps he could continue coming to the apartment on weekends to paint?

Maybe he could just make a studio somewhere in Beacon's grounds?

The problem was that Huntsmen in Vale were considered freelancers, and not part of the military, unlike Atlas. Atlas's academy gave free rides to those they felt would be a good fit in military service. All Huntsmen from Atlas were in the military, and were actually officers, with officer training.

But, in Vale, since they were considered freelancers, they didn't get the benefits of tax money. It was a matter of laws, and since Vale's laws listed Grimm hunting as freelance. Meaning for profit, that meant Huntsmen were no different than from job you trained for in college.

From what he read of his letter, which laid open on his coffee table, his papers had been approved and was due to report to the airfield station a week after graduation. Currently, Naruto was just busy painting to make extra income, he had three other projects going on along with his current one.

The Dragon Prince's Bride, because Paloma loved the first one so much, she even put a down payment of a thousand liens.

The Eternal Fall, a forest painting based on Forever Fall Forest in Vale.

Iskandar The Great, a painting of Iskandar and his band holding swords, with the man holding the largest above his head. He had contacted Naruto, even spoke to him, both had a good laugh once he realized he was the kid he met at the concert and Naruto had begone work on the next cover for his album via painting.

Iskandar was the most generous of the clients, having seen his other works, he went ahead and paid ten thousand Liens to sponsor the painting.

Currently, he was almost done with it, in fact, he'd be finished with it tomorrow!

Easy money, easy food on the table, and easy living for a moment.

The last painting, Beacon, was of the school itself. It was a massive painting, it took up the window space inside of his apartment, apparently, it had been commissioned by someone at the school. A mystery buyer, and by Mirabella's word, he was high up in the council as well.

He'd make history, if the painting was well received, to be the first Faunus Artist to have a painting in any government building. But that wasn't the legacy he wanted to leave, he wanted the thrill of the fight and of being a Huntsman.

Currently, he had enough to pay for the materials and to put a down payment on his education for that year. Not enough to fully pay for it, but enough to make sure it got a good head start. The blonde sighed, looking at the fourth layer of paint of Winter's portrait, and he shrugged.

Each year was an enrollment cost, which was the cost of _everything_ put together.

A lot of people argued that this education should be free, but people can't fathom the costs it takes to produce Huntsmen. The amount of quality training, the four years of supplies, ammunition and dust. Security detail for school events that were formal, so that no radicals could just go in and slaughter a huge investment.

Huntsmen were investments of civil society, because while the military protected the majority of people, they played a defensive role. Huntsmen got incentive to take fights to very demons of the night that plagued humanity.

The job's mortality rate was extraordinarily high, one in ten Huntsmen would die before seeing the age of thirty. Those past thirty had a higher chance of dying, since many of the deadly jobs got filtered over to them. Sometimes being recognized for your experience was not always that great…though the money many of those jobs brought in were often life changing.

Not everyone is meant to be a Huntsmen. The world needs metalworkers just as much as it needed the cold steel of a warrior to push back the night. But, for now, he was a painter. He stares at his painting of Weiss Schnee, the irony of a Faunus artist painting a Schnee wasn't lost on him.

Then again not all Schnee were horrible people either.

It was decent in his books, but the colors never truly shined until the fifth and six layers were added, he needed to lighten her skin a little bit more. He made some rose to her cheeks, make her lips a little lighter shade of pink.

The smallest little details were also the most important to get something to lifelike quality. From the round face, the admittingly beautiful baby blue eyes, the silky white hair. Like a white rose, she would be considered _beautiful_ , but there was a human quality to both of them.

Naruto stops for a moment, looking at the portrait before sighing and getting his scroll. He began to punch in the number for his bank, waiting for the ring tone to end before he could enter his passcodes in order get his account balance.

The A.I that answered him was the standard Carmichael, a newly updated version of the old Friday variant.

 _"_ _Your current account balance is forty thousand, six hundred, and twenty-five liens. A payment has been issued to the amount of twenty-five thousand liens due to arrive at Beacon Academy in two days. A payment has been issued in the amount of ten thousand liens to Beacon Academy in two days. The stated purpose for payments is Materials and Education."_ Naruto heard his scroll suddenly speak, _"is that all?"_

Naruto chuckled, finishing the fourth layer of the painting, "no Carmichael, that's all."

 _"_ _Have a good day, Mr. Namikaze."_ The scroll then hangs up.

Getting back to the painting. Naruto took time to examine his work, making sure everything was in order. He held the paint brush, a specific color of white on it, alabaster. He wanted to shade the hair of Winter to fit with the pose, everything had to be shaded to fit that pose.

The finishing touch on the fourth layer came with the hair, where he began to add the first layer of detailed paint. As much as he hated most of The Schnee Family, Naruto didn't hate Winter. Her father on the other hand, even by her own words, could go rot in a Grimm pit.

People like him allowed mining disasters like the one that happened to Ilia's parents, not intentional, but not investing enough to make sure the mines were safe. It was a matter of time, the ticking of the clock, until something would happen. The truth, the cold truth, hindsight will always be twenty-twenty for a reason.

You should've saw it coming.

Finishing up, Naruto grabbed his scroll, looking at the time.

"She's probably still up," Naruto said to himself. "Better let her know how its going."

He pressed a number on it, calling Mirabella, he got an answer, _"Ah my star."_

"Hello Mrs. Mirabella, just want to report that Iskandar's and Weiss's paintings are near completion, they'll be done tomorrow night," Naruto told his art dealer, intent to get some money before going into Beacon.

 _"Ah, yes, that is good news. I heard you have another painting you're wanting to sell me?"_ She inquires, with Naruto yawning a little in the background.

"Yes," Naruto walked over to it and showing her.

 _"Ooh, an environmental, Forever Fall?"_ Mirabella questioned as she looked at it.

Naruto nodded, "yes, and thank you for getting me some high profile work."

 _"Don't mention it, you're a good artist and need exposure, though I kept you being a Faunus vague from our Schnee client."_ Mirabella replied she looked at the painting, _"I could probably sell that for five, giving you two."_

"I want half." Naruto retorted with a smile.

 _"Fifty-five, forty-five, gives you two thousand two hundred and twenty-five."_ Mirabella also retorted, countering his counteroffer.

"Fine…" Naruto rolled his eyes and then smiled, "you're twisting my arm a little."

 _"Come now,"_ Mirabella waved, _"tis only a formality, I'll send someone over later to pick up the painting and with your money."_

"Roger that," Naruto hung up, taking a deep breath as he looked at the paintings.

His apron was stained with paint, like always, he stretched and took it off. Looking at the paintings, sighing, he tosses the apron to the floor. Taking his shirt off and walking toward the bathroom. He yawns, looking at himself in the mirror.

 _"Maybe I should go out,"_ Naruto stripped down as thought and went over to the shower, _"I should celebrate."_

Naruto closed his eyes as cold water brushed his skin, slowly the water increased in temperature. Steam began to roll of his skin where the water impacted, the blonde Fox Faunus just lets the soothing waters take him.

He leans back, taking deep breaths.

* * *

 _"You should just fade away, you'll do so eventually."_ Naruto's eyes snapped open, revealing in front of him was his demon.

The demon had a terrible smirk, the whisker marks on his face were much thicker than his normal birthmarks. He had a messy hair, cuts across his arms and bruising around his neck. The demon even sported a hole in his head, long scabbed over.

The demon stood in this black void, his right hand had a strange black round mark on it, "you are just going to fade away…why not grab that nice electric charger cable and place it in a bath?"

Naruto shook his head, "I am on a high note…I'm not listening to you…"

"You can't always run away from me, I am always inside of your footsteps, one by one…I follow them." The demon chuckled as he walked around Naruto.

He walked to where he stood right behind Naruto's left ear, leaning down, "how many times did you think to end it today? Three, four, ooh…only two?"

Naruto frowned, lowering his head, "I just…don't want to go back again."

"You don't have too, Naruto buddy," Demon Naruto dismisses as he looked at his counterpart, "You can always pretend that you're okay, put on a smile."

He then suddenly gripped the top of his head and chin, the demon smirked before violently snapping his own neck. The audible sound of bones literally breaking and snapping out of place made Naruto winced as the demon stood there still.

"But that just doesn't change the fact you're broken inside!" The demon roars before suddenly reforming himself.

The demon licked his lips, "all you have to do is that just snap your own neck…painless. You're more than capable of it, I mean, you either do it to yourself or you do it to Ilia."

"I don't hate Ilia…" Naruto lowered his head.

"Please," the demon said. "Spare me."

The demon's head snapped back into place when it failed to do so the first time perfectly. Suddenly a familiar girl stood next to him. She had red eyes as well, looking down at Naruto.

"I hated you, how come you got to have sympathy!" She screamed at him, "I got laughed out simply because my family died, you're just the worse! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

Naruto winced, "but…I'm…"

"You're nothing but a pathetic loser, if I hadn't catered to you back in Atlas you'd just be hanging up and put in the morgue! You don't deserve anything, you're never going to be a hero, you'll just be another body with a toe tag!" Ilia, the demon screamed out.

The demon stepped behind Ilia, gripping her head firmly, "see?"

"Ilia!" Naruto screamed, trying to run over toward her.

The girl let out a sharp, painful scream until the audible cracking filled the void. She fell to a heap, laying on the ground as she slowly turned into the void itself. Black, nothing but darkness, Naruto glared right at the demon.

His own eyes red now, crimson, like blood.

"How pathetic," the dark one says as he licked his fingers, "you either go two routes from here bucko. You can kill yourself, end it all and be at peace."

He then suddenly teleported behind Naruto, standing right next to his left, leaning over and smiled. "Or, you just become the very monster you fight to keep a bay…every…single…day."

"Then again," the demon steps forward, "maybe the second option will make you happy. Hearing people that made fun of you beg for their pathetic little lives, like ants trying to escape a boot…man…trying to escape the universe."

Naruto took a deep breath, "you're not real, I am me, you are not me…"

"For now," the demon chuckled, "that's only half true…I am very real Naruto."

The demon suddenly had his right-hand glow a purplish color, almost black, but it contrasts slightly with the background of the void. Red-tails emerged from behind him, nine in total, and he looked right at Naruto as his features became more demonic.

"Only a matter of time before you cast everyone and everything aside…either you die a lonely little piece of shit…or you live and become a demon…" The demon suddenly growled, only for chains to emerge and pull him into the void.

He thrashed, and before Naruto couldn't question what was going on, he felt something grab him as well and pull him into a light.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes, gasping for air, he looked at the shower, the water had long since turned cold. He stood there, waterlogged, naked and afraid. He turned the water off, stumbling out of the shower, he walked over to the towels, wrapping himself up.

The blonde sighed, walking into his living room, noting that he had just stood there…in that shower for over an hour. He gripped his head, slightly feeling a pounding headache incoming, he sighs as he sat on the couch.

Still naked under that very towel, but he watched as the sun was setting. He looked out of the window, taking a few deep breaths as he got up, and then calmed down.

 _"It's only a nightmare, he's not real, he's just the negative you."_ Naruto mantras as he stood there, _"and he'll never win."_

Getting into his room Naruto took a few moments to rummage through some clothing. Getting out a good pair of jeans and a white shirt. The blonde checked himself I the mirror as he stretches and yawns.

He was going to go out and celebrate his birthday, alone.

* * *

Naruto strummed the flamingo in his hands, having decided to just stick to what he knew best. He pranced the floor as he played it, no different than the foot movements in a tango. The store's teacher nodded, watching as Naruto moved to his own beat.

Taking a deep breath, he just smiled as he finished playing.

"Bravo," a man said as he stood next to another man, "very good Mr. Namikaze."

"Thanks, Javier," Naruto thanked the man in front of him, handing him back the flamingo guitar.

However, Javier shook his head, "nah amigo. You can have it, consider it a graduation present from us, you've been a great customer over the last year and such."

"O-oh really," Naruto looked at it, "w-wow…thanks."

The man waved him off, he looked at the blonde, "shouldn't you be at your ceremony kiddo?"

"Skipping it Verdant, besides, no family to see me walk anyway." Naruto simply states as he put his hands in his pockets.

Javier nodded, "well, you take care alright, Beacon is a cool cat place."

"Cool cat huh?" Naruto laughs as he walked to the door, "then they'll just love me there."

* * *

Qrow took a deep breath as he saw his students come up, getting their papers and having their picture taken. He noticed that Naruto wasn't there among his peers. Sighing, Qrow just watches as Taiyang shook the hands of those that came up.

 _'_ _Goddamn it, Naruto, c'mon you earned this!'_ Qrow thinks to himself.

He watches as Yang starts walking toward him, he hands her papers, he quickly straightens himself up. Smiling while patting her shoulder, she smiled and nodded, walking over toward her father. The buxom blonde starts chatting up a storm after getting a hug from her father, her friends all walk with her.

"Hell yeah, Yang," a green haired girl said. "Next stop Beacon Academy."

"You know it girl, and mama is finally free to go explore." Yang states while walking with her friends into the hallways.

Another of her friends, another blonde looked at her, "anyone take notice that were one short?"

"Hmm," all of them hummed as they looked at her.

Yang then questioned her, "what do you mean Iris, we're all here."

"Well, all of us, yes. But not everyone that should be graduating. What about the loser that slept in back, was he here?" Iris inquires as she rested herself against a locker.

"Nah," the green haired girl said. "Loser wasn't here, can't believe for being asleep he somehow grads."

"Its total bullshit," Yang admits as she rubbed the back of her. "I mean, really ya know, we bust tail trying to grad and yet someone just falls asleep all the time."

"Come to think of it, Yang, I can't even remember what the idiot looks like. I mean he had blonde hair, but that's about it." The shortest blonde of the group states.

"Yeah me neither, oh well, hopefully he's not going to Beacon. God, could you imagine him getting stuck with someone like that?" Yang said while talking to her friends, "he'd probably be asleep in the middle of a mission."

"Totally," Iris rolls her eyes, "and then we'd have to explain how he got killed."

"Being a loser," the shortest blonde states while leaning on the locker by Iris.

"Sasha," the girl looked at Iris, "please don't rub your booty on my mine."

"S-sorry," Sasha apologizes while yawning. "Speaking of sleep, I'm not going out tonight ladies."

"Aww, what a shame, and here I was hoping to celebrate my birthday with you girls since I didn't get too a couple weeks ago." Yang then smiles, "but I know where we can get some drinks at."

Iris rolls her eyes, "Crow's nest, doesn't your uncle frequent that place?"

"Yeah," Yang dismissed with an eyeroll, "and?"

"Well, FYI, won't you get into totes trouble with daddio?" Sasha inquires.

"Maybe," Yang admits, but then gives a sly smile. "But mama wants some sunrise action and Crow's Nest doesn't check for IDs."

"Underage drinking, potentially getting caught? Fuck it, I'm done, where do I sign up?" The green haired girl inquires as she smiled.

"You sign up on the lineup if we're caught, Midori." Yang states while bringing her arm around her, "where's Flare?"

"Oh, she's actually sick," Sasha told Yang and rubbed the back of her head. "Figured she'd tell you, oh, well right?"

"Yeah, well, I'm thinking about sneaking Ruby out with us." Yang told the girls, "get her a taste of social life."

"Oh God, Yang, no offense…Ruby isn't exactly the girl we need to bring with us. She'll crack like an egg meeting a rock." Iris replied.

"Yeah," Midori shrugs and sighs, "kind of got to agree with Iris on this one Yang."

"Aww, well all I wanted to do was _Yang_ out with my sister." Yang told her friends, "besides after tonight we need to get ready for Beacon."

"Ooh yes," Iris laughs as she rubbed the back of her head. "I wonder how many hot guys there'll be."

"Probably for miles," Sasha shrugs, "my big sis says that our definition of hot is a time and dozen there."

'Even their limp noodle is a hunk here," Iris blushes as she imagined what the boys would look like.

"Well c'mon girls, let's go get cat called by so creepy old men." Sasha smacks Midori's and Yang's bottom while walking past them.

* * *

Naruto sighed, looking at his home, his apartment. He was walking with the landlady, he had decided to go ahead and vacate since he wouldn't be able to realistically afford the rent and keep up with everything.

"Well, everything seems to be fine, your security deposit will be cut in half for cleaning…because well, you did stain the carpet." The woman stated as she wrote on her paperwork, "fair winds Mr. Namikaze."

Naruto took the paper, he looked at her, "I hired a moving company that's going to be taken my art supplies, the picture of mother and her vase to Beacon, they have storage units there for students like me."

"Not cheap?" She inquired.

"Not cheap, cost me an extra five hundred a month, so, about six thousand a year to just store my stuff." Naruto pinched his nose, looking at it, "this place served me well for a year."

The blonde stretched, "well, better get going to the airport."

"You know students aren't supposed to be there for another three days, right?" the landlady questioned him.

"Meh," Naruto waved as blew off the notions of traveling with fellow peers, "none bothered talking to me, so I won't put myself to where I may be in the way."

Loading into the airship, Naruto watches as much of his stuff was marked fragile. He had to spend some extra money to hire a team of movers, that somehow got approved by Beacon security. He wasn't going to be able to just go back and forth from inner city Vale and Beacon academy constantly.

Walking over toward his seat Naruto yawns and flops down. He looked at his scroll, watching a Minichad video. A no sleep Read It compilation talking about horror stories. He sat there, listening to gamer go on and on about Creepy Pastas and such.

He looked out of the window, seeing the aircraft begin to lift up.

* * *

Qrow was drinking a beer in the empty classroom, looking at the empty chairs. It was his last year teaching for a little bit, he was going to be working directly under Beacon for the next couple of years to earn some more money. He looked at Taiyang's desk, which his feet currently occupied.

Frowning as he swallowed the contents of his drink, _'everyday you came in and you slept right there."_

 _'_ _You blonde idiot,'_ Qrow swigged something from his flask, _'I wish you'd shown up…I'm here for you kiddo.'_

He then smiled though, looking at the desk that Naruto had occupied, _'then again…kid, you mimicked me as a teen to T.'_

Qrow heard a knock, looking over at the door, "yo."

"C'mon Qrow," Taiyang says as he entered the class, "I just cleaned that."

"Some boot stains never killed anything," Qrow replied. "So, you know Yang is probably going to get into trouble with her friends."

Taiyang rolled his eyes, "I'm well aware."

Qrow nodded and sighed, "yeah, well…fuck man, want one?"

Taiyang nodded getting tossed a beer by Qrow, the man took a seat at one of the open chairs. Looking at Qrow, who seemed to be focusing at the back of the class. Taiyang popped the lid, taking a swig out of it.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Qrow questions as he looked over at Taiyang.

The blonde sighed, "yeah, but its his choice."

"I wonder why he doesn't just let any of us in, I don't get it man." Qrow drinks out of his bottle, "and yet here we are two old men watching family walk the next step in life."

"We can only do so much for people Qrow," Taiyang replied as he placed his beer down on a desk next to him. "And, we did what we could."

"That brat reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger, constantly searching for somewhere to belong. Fucking hell," Qrow curses as he burps. "Those chimichangas are not setting right."

"You should text him," Taiyang offered. "At least find out the why to our question."

 _'_ _I wish it were that easy,'_ Qrow muses before sighing, "I'll give it a shot."

* * *

The blonde took a deep breath as he stepped off the aircraft, watching as movers took some stuff toward the storage lockers. He rubbed the back of his head, looking at his scroll, he had one missed message and opened it.

 _"Hey Kiddo, it's me The Q man, didn't see you at the walk. I kind of figured you'd skip it, seeing that no one was out here for you and all, but let me know if you're ever free in Vale…we'll get a drink. Now, you just worry about yourself in there, k?"_

Naruto looked at the message, he felt his heart grow heavy, he sighed as he started to text back. _"Hey, Q man, its kiddo. Sorry I skipped out, just don't like being in places like that, too much BS for my brain. Thank you for the wishes, and I'll gladly take you up on that drink when I get a chance."_

The blonde Fox Faunus then took a deep breath, sighing, _'I feel like an asshole…"_

He put his scroll away, taking a deep breath as he walked around the courtyard, he made sure to catch up with some of the movers he had hired. He handed them a few extra lien, giving them a tip for their services and all.

Sitting on the edge of the fountain, Naruto just looked at himself in the water, his last name Namikaze wasn't from his father's surname. He didn't know his father's surname, his mom never mentioned it. She made sure to keep tight-lipped about a lot of things pertaining to his father.

In fact, the old sepia photograph was the only photo he was allowed to see, the rest were put in a vault somewhere in Vacuo. Until he graduated Beacon or became a Huntsman early. The seventeen-year-old just looked at the waters as they moved from the wind.

"Hey," Naruto turned to see a man wearing a mask, sitting on the opposite end of the statue's pond.

The mask the man wore was blue, covering the entire bottom of his face up to his eyes, his eyes were chocolate brown, his hair was spikey white as he looked at the blonde sitting just across from him. Getting a better angle, the man hummed slightly as he noticed Naruto.

Naruto spoke up, nervously, "h-hey…didn't see you there."

"Ah," the man in the mask waved, "it's a trick of mine. Anyway, are you skipping class?"

"Wh-what, no, I was just arriving early is all," Naruto told the man, telling the truth.

The man nodded, humming slightly, "well…alright then. My name is Kakashi Hatake by the way, I'm head of security for Beacon."

The two stared at each other for a moment, with Kakashi getting up and walking over to sit next to the blonde, "so are you some sort of blue blood?"

"No," Naruto rolled his eyes and pointed at his ears, "Faunus never will be blue bloods in today's world."

The man chuckled, "not with that attitude young man, you need to grasp destiny."

"Well, I had to vacate my apartment to attend here, according to the rules packet I got last week. So, yeah, kind of bummed now that I am officially homeless again." Naruto looked down at the ground, watching as leaves danced across the courtyard.

Kakashi hummed, "again? That is sad kid, really sad, no parents?"

"My mom died when I was young," Naruto gripped his hands and balled them into fists, "my father walked out when I was younger."

"Hmm," Kakashi seemed to take notice of Naruto, "a lot of hatred in you."

"Huh?" Naruto looked at him.

Kakashi took a deep breath, "hatred is like a drug, if you let it consume you, you'll never recover from it."

Scoffing, the blonde just took a deep breath, "what do you know?"

"My parents died the day I was born, I was treated like a cursed child because I supposedly brought bad luck." Kakashi patted Naruto's shoulder, "but as for being homeless…nah…Beacon's your home now man."

"Enjoy it," Kakashi said as he got up, "and I'll be around if you want to talk…"

"Namikaze," Naruto tells him while holding out his hand, "Naruto."

"Naruto Namikaze, a name fitting for someone who probably wondered like the winds in a port harbor. Orange port wind," Kakashi rubbed his chin as he looked into the boy's blue eyes, "well…congratulations on making this far."

Kakashi stopped and turned back to Naruto, "if you want to talk, I usually work the night shift as the head security officer."

 _"What a weird man,"_ Naruto noted about Kakashi, watching the man walk away.

 _"However,"_ Naruto took note of the Huntsmen Weapon on Kakashi's back, a tanto, _"he's a Huntsman."_

Standing up, Naruto hummed as he looked at his scroll, it was October eighteenth. Eight days after his seventeenth birthday, a birthday he never really celebrated.

Hell, the only person he ever celebrated it with was probably halfway around the world doing Gods know what!

Finishing out that year in Atlas before being able to come to Vale for his senior year was almost unbearable, and never felt more alone, so he had just shut off the world completely save for a few people here and there.

Like looking glasses into a box, but the box was dark that even with the looking glass, no one could truly see what it was inside.

His stomach grumbled, he walked toward the doors of Beacon, only to suddenly wind blow past him. A warmth wrapping itself around him, he reached up, clutching his shoulder. He felt like there was a hand there, someone hugging him from behind.

 _"Smile…"_

It was a woman's voice, Naruto recognized it, he dares not to turn around.

 _"C'mon…smile, you did it, look at you…"_

Naruto felt tears fall from his ears, he slowly walked as he smiled, taking in a deep breath as he smelt the clear air around him. It wasn't like the city air, it was pure, and more relaxing. Slowly, still clutching the area he felt warm at, Naruto then took a deep breath and then chuckled slightly.

 _"Smile…"_

Naruto found himself smiling as he neared the doors, slowly he opened them up, _"I love you, mom…thank you…"_

He entered the academy, unaware of the silver-haired man who had been watching from afar. He watches as a small wisp of red flowed away from Naruto, the figure in the wisp was a redheaded woman, bright blue eyes.

The man smiled, sipping his mug, _"welcome home young Huntsman…Namikaze Naruto…the name alone sounds familiar."_

 _"Perhaps with time,"_ the man walked toward the building, _"you'll find a way to beat those demons gnawing at you as well."_

* * *

In an office, snow covering the window that was caked in a layer of ice, a woman with white hair and wearing military uniform was organizing paperwork she wrote out for students. She looked down at a letter, addressed to her from Ozpin himself.

She got her letter opener, cutting open the official stamp and pulling the letter out.

 _"_ _Winter._

 _This letter is to inform that your student, one Naruto Namikaze, that transferred to Signal Academy has made it. I know we're not on speaking terms, and you're probably wondering why the hell I forged Oz's signature. But, how else would I get your attention?_

 _You should feel proud, he told me that if he graduated, he wanted a letter sent to you. I guess you could say he sort of gave me the idea to forge Oz's signature. You're a busy woman, but I think you've truly given a gift very few could give._

 _A gift of inspiration and kindness, compassion._

 _I won't bore you with the details, he's brilliant young man. Knowing my luck, you probably won't receive this letter, but I thought I give it a try. I can see that he's troubled, perhaps hearing from you could give him some faith to keep moving forward?_

 _I don't know._

 _I guess the cards didn't play in the favor of me being a brat whisperer, which is saying a lot given who my nieces are…well one of them anyway._

 _Oh well._

 _Take care of yourself Winter, after all, you got your own brat in a sister to worry about. Heard she's going to Beacon as well, maybe she'll make a good fit, hopefully._

 _-Qrow Brawen._

 _P.S. I'm still better than you!"_

Winter groans at the ending of the letter, _'of course, wouldn't be letter from Qrow unless it had something childish in it.'_

 _'_ _Heh,'_ she giggles a little bit before folding the letter and putting it under desk.

She hums as she walks over, getting a stored bottle of cava out of a vault she kept hidden behind a picture. She gets out a wine glass from a file cabinet, years of teaching made her copy Qrow just little bit.

Filling up the glass halfway, keeping classy about it all, Winter leans against the wall holds the glass up.

"To the desires of man, forever are their hearts easy to sway, make headway young one." She toasts before sipping on it the cava and smiling.

"You're in the big leagues now…"


	5. Episode Five: Peach

Beacon was a castle, even more so than the Capital Building in Vacuo City. The halls were stone, the floor made of expensive wood, and the paintings that adorned the wall were all of top quality.

Currently making his way toward the headmaster office, Naruto saw some older students walk past him. Not batting an eye of care at him, the blonde Fox Faunus noted that one of them being a Faunus just like him.

The cool halls of the school echoed with the footsteps of students as a bell rang. The blonde watches as many students pass through the hallways, all upperclassmen since the new freshmen haven't arrived yet, save for himself.

Taking small notes on his notepad that he had gotten out of his satchel. The teen didn't want to lose his way in his effort to get somewhere. The glass windows showed him that around the school ground just outside laid many other buildings.

All of them connected by various halls, and from a small mini map on the wall, Naruto could see some of the halls split into four way lanes. It was a huge school, no doubt that people could get lost.

Some were traveled to by other students, meaning there was entirely separate areas for learning different things. Just like in Signal Academy. Stopping for a moment the blue eyed fox just leaned against the wall, looking room direction posts on the walls.

Naruto continued down where he was going, going toward The Eastern Wing

From where he was going, an arrow pointed toward the offices, which was next to the ballroom, and amphitheater. Walking that way Naruto hummed a merry tune in his throat, listening to his music on his scroll as he did.

Finally making his way into the office areas the blonde saw many signs by an elevator.

 _"_ _Main area 1_ _st_ _floor.  
Student and Weapon Registry 2_ _nd_ _floor.  
Guidance Counselors and Human/Faunus Resources 3_ _rd_ _floor.  
Main Offices 4_ _th_ _floor.  
Balcony and Library 5_ _th_ _floor.  
Long Range Communications Hub 6_ _th_ _floor.  
Headmaster Office 7_ _th_ _floor."_

Pressing the button Naruto was waiting on the elevator, which dinged when it finally came down. Getting into it and removing his headphones just in case he got told to once he got up top, Naruto tucks the wiring and scroll into his pocket.

Naruto walked out of an elevator, a few minutes of sightseeing, and he decided to head into the headmaster's office first. He had paperwork to do, every new student did, and since he came early, he'd be able to sit down with the headmaster himself to do it.

The other offices were currently closed, prepping for the tsunami of newer students. Forcing Naruto into a more intimate registration process, and he knew it would be intimate since in order to get into a top tier Huntsman Academy they had to psyche evaluations to make sure you didn't just snap at the drop of a dime.

Which was disconcerting to him.

Walking over toward a chair, the blonde adjusted his baggy cargo pants, shifting a small sketchpad around he kept in the beltline. Sitting down, yawning, the blonde looked at the empty chair in front of him.

The blonde woman who had led him in here after he tried to stop at Student Registry was a bombshell in his book, the fierce emerald greens betrayed the beauty with the experience of a true warrior. If she was the number two of this place, Naruto had a good image of who'd be the number one.

His fox ears twitched a little bit, feeling the air, he determined it was purposely made to feel a slight bit colder than usual despite being mid-October. Which was usually cool in its own right, but with the air currently was set to a cool sixty on the thermometer from what Naruto could read.

How, or why for that matter, someone could just constantly keep their office this cool was beyond him.

His keen observations coming from the self-training he imposed on himself throughout his life, it came with the territory of being a freelance artist, any small detail could have any effect on a drawing or painting.

A simple blemish, a scar, a beauty mark, loose strands of hair, even the color of the eyes. All of it, and literally all of it, had to make sense in Naruto's mind if it meant that he would be painting something. Even his cartoony caricature versions of people still bared an abundant amount of the inspiration's features.

Albeit in a very loving manner, or a very twisted manner, depending on the impression he got from them.

Penny from Atlas has a caricature of an angel, she was an angel, kind and sweet nearly twenty-four seven.

Ciel…Ciel, on the other hand, could die in a lake of lava for all Naruto cared!

Vile, nasty, and a racist. She had been drawn with Grimm features, simply because he disliked her, and even poor little Penny who had to deal with the girl nearly all day even stated she wasn't her friend.

Penny literally tried making friends with _everyone._

So, if Penny gave up Ciel, then Ciel was probably never going to worth her weight in trouble to deal with.

Simple, cold-hearted, logic.

Flynt and Katt had been drawn six months ago with Grimm features, signifying their fall in Naruto's eyes. So, called friends who just left Naruto to the cold of the world, it wasn't hard to pick up a scroll, Neon spent most of the day on hers anyway.

Even though he should, for some reason, he could never bring himself to do the same to Ilia's picture. Perhaps because she left on a better note than anyone else, granted it was her running away, but she had followed her heart's desire.

He could never fault someone for that, that would be hypocrisy on his end since he was following his heart by coming to Beacon.

"It is a lovely feeling," Naruto's eyes snapped open as he looked to his side, "of stepping through the halls of where heroes once walked, and surely new ones do now."

Naruto grabbed his chest, chuckling nervously as he got up, "you scared me there."

"Ah," the man with silver hair watched as Naruto reached his hand out, "sorry young man I do not shake the hands of the unproven."

Naruto blinked, "Unproven?"

"A person who in my eyes has yet to earn their place in my halls, but I do like early birds. So," the silver haired man offers his hand out, "what is your name?"

"Naruto Namikaze," Naruto answered.

The man looked at him, smiling, "I am The Headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin."

"The legendary master himself," Naruto slightly gushed as he looked at the man. "I kind of expected you to be a little taller though."

"Aha," Ozpin chuckled. "I see you a bit of a comedian."

"Everyone takes one look at me, and they usual come up with a joke regarding my stature. But," Ozpin walked around and took a seat at his desk. "I can assure you that challenging me is a practice of futility."

"Oh," Naruto lowered his head as he sighed. "I didn't mean it that way."

"Of course, you didn't, I'm a blunt person Namikaze." Ozpin then smiled, "so forgive me if I come off as a little rude."

"No problems," Naruto replied as he held his hands up. "I'm used to rude people."

"Well, it so happened I knew you would be coming in early, so I took the liberty to get your file. I've studied it on my way in here. For an unproven I few notable people talk big about you, a few people I know that don't usually brag about any students that cross their way." Ozpin said to Naruto as he placed the folder down.

The headmaster looks in his eyes, "I can see a fire inside of you, and I can see where they made sure that you continued your training despite your…shortcomings."

"Um," Naruto blinked and tilted his head, "come again?"

"In your file, a psych file actually, every school makes one. Anyway, I would've called you up here the first day anyway, you came here early which is most beneficial toward you. Now, Mr. Namikaze, I'm not going to sugarcoat anything…from what I read you're on the M.I.S.S." Ozpin pulled out a file from his desk, he then opened it, revealing Naruto's various school pictures.

Naruto looked at him, bewildered, "spectrum?"

"Mental Illness Spectrum Survey, M.I.S.S," Ozpin looked at the file, "more specifically your history and personality point toward several things."

"And those are…?" Naruto inquires, but he felt a weight coming down him.

"You said in the psyche reports in Atlas you described yourself as being able to manifest your anger mentally in another form. Which can be chalked up to a creative mind, and which case I'll believe that. After all I know about your ability to paint, paint beautifully I might add. However, you also have a history of depression, which normally isn't an issue…until you've the things you did." Ozpin spoke while glancing at the scar at Naruto's wrist.

The blonde recoils a little bit, hiding it under his shirt, "that was a long time ago…"

"Still, it has to be put in a record. Anyway, if you came here you have to be aware this isn't like a vocational academy. If you make friends here," Ozpin then took a deep breath.

He then spoke in a very serious tone, "you have to be aware that they may very well perish."

"In fact, Beacon has a mortality rate, one out twenty students will die. Its unfortunate, but the life of a Huntsman isn't for the faint of heart. With that possibility hanging over your head you have to be aware that we won't hold your hand when you start taking on training missions, you're an adult in our eyes, and thusly you have to take up the mantle as one." Ozpin continued.

"And," Naruto rubs the back of his head, "this means…"

"Are you capable of seeing a friend die?" Ozpin questioned him.

Naruto lowered his head, sighing, "I don't know…"

"Hmm?" Ozpin observed him, noting the sad frown that came over the teen's face.

Naruto got uncomfortable, squirming slightly in the chair as he looked at the headmaster. "So that's it, huh? All of this effort, out on the fact I might not be able to accept a friend I could possibly make dying?"

"No," Ozpin shook his head, "you're still in. However, you will have to see a psychiatrist while you attend your first year in."

"O-oh," Naruto lowered his head, "is…is it anonymous?"

"Confidentiality is a top priority in these scenarios, we get many students in here Mr. Namikaze, many of them are in good spirits and health. However, sometimes we get the more wayward like you, who have a damaged soul. Not broken, but it'll take a lot of healing, and the healing is required to move forward." Ozpin then looks at the file, coughing a little bit to gather his voice.

He then speaks up, "Vacuo Civilian School, five years ago, you displayed a writing that detailed a world without you in it. Mostly, you wrote a world where it seemed everyone's life would be better if you just disappeared, do you remember writing this?"

Naruto frowned, then he answered with a nod.

"Okay," Ozpin marked something on a notepad, "later on that same year you attempted and almost succeeded in suicide due to the passing of your mother."

"That is…correct," Naruto got uncomfortable, "I don't like talking about it…sir."

"I know, but you must understand I have to have something to send to the psychiatrist, so she can work with you. Fast forward a year later, you displayed several traits of being anti-social, not getting involved with group projects in the freshmen year of Atlas Academy. This is after you managed to sneak aboard a military grade vessel, an impressive feat for a child." Ozpin remarked as he jotted something down in the notepad, "you also were identified with self-harm marks on your inner thigh."

"It was the worst year," Naruto stopped Ozpin as he spoke, "I felt empty…alone…I felt numb to everything and everyone. Nothing, I mean even color itself, had no color. I…just thought a little pain would jumpstart some sort of feeling…and it never did."

Suddenly Ozpin could see Naruto looking away, "I guess you're going to tell me the alleged second suicide attempt happened, but I maintain that I fell off the edge, I liked going up to the roof to relax."

'See the stars, see the moon, it just felt right…and then I fell off the ledge one day." Naruto took a deep breath as he continues, "and it let me stay away from people who kept picking on me because of my Faunus trait."

The silver-haired man looked at him, "it says in the profile you took better to adults, why?"

"They'll listen, I guess, mostly." Naruto took a moment, "like Mr. Brawen and Mr. Xiao-Long, they understood me a lot more than others had."

"Even Winter Schnee?" Ozpin inquired as he looked at Naruto.

The blonde grimaced slightly, looking at the ceiling, "she helped me get out before I could try again."

"To this day I don't know if she's mad at me, I mean, I don't know if she thinks I'm a quitter. I did my best under her, in fact I dare say I was at my best while in Atlas, until it all just…fell apart…ya know?" Naruto tried to reason out, "and its not exactly my fault, life's…a…well…"

"Hectic?" Ozpin inquires, finishing the sentence.

"Yeah…" Naruto sighs while looking toward the window.

"Winter is a very shrewd person, and if she helped you get somewhere, she viewed you as friend, Naruto. I known that girl for years, and she rarely helps out anyone. She is a "sink or swim" type of teacher, I am sure you very well aware of that." Ozpin chuckles at the end, "especially in combat class."

"Yeah," Naruto rubs the back of his head some more, but chuckled.

Ozpin nods, "so don't focus on her hating you, if she did…she'd done the complete opposite to you than what she did."

"Right," Naruto took a deep breath and sighs, "are we finished?"

"Well," Ozpin flipped his file as he spoke, "we also know about one Ilia Amitola."

The blonde took another deep breath, "I don't want to go into that…"

"Alright," Ozpin flipped the page, "but it also says here you had friends named Flynt Coal and Neon Katt."

"Former," Naruto corrected as he looked at the headmaster, "they abandoned me, probably because I was just a pet project…"

Ozpin took a deep breath, "well, do you have any friends?"

"Maybe Mr. Brawen," Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "but…that's about it."

"You mentioned Mr. Xiao-Long, why not include him?" Ozpin questioned the omit in Naruto's answer.

Naruto sighed, "honestly, I just didn't want to have dinner…I mean…he has two daughters in the same school and I don't want them to be nosey about me."

The blonde took a deep breath, "I don't want to…feel something that isn't there."

"And, that is?" Ozpin inquired further.

"Acceptance." Naruto plainly answers as he took a deep breath.

Ozpin nodded, "so, have you ever been diagnosed with anything?"

"Yes," Naruto answers simply again.

"Clinical Depression," Naruto bit the word in his mouth, he hated saying that.

"Well," Ozpin closed the file, "I made several notes and I'll make sure to have them sent. Now, for your accommodation since you're here early. I cannot give you a dorm, not yet, you're unproven. However, the common room's couch is open."

"Common room?" Naruto inquired.

"A game area, pool table, game station, there's also a small kitchen set up for the weekends when the Cafeteria isn't open," Ozpin explained as he placed the folder back in his desk, "you are allowed to go into the cafeteria by the way."

"Oh, okay then, um…" Naruto tried to see if there were any questions left, and he found one, "am I allowed down in storage anytime I want?"

"Yes." Ozpin plainly answered, giving Naruto all that he needed.

The blonde looked at the man, "so…what happens now?"

"Now you wait, until the initiation test, where we'll see if you can worthy enough to walk among these halls for four years instead of four days." Ozpin told Naruto, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, "you're free to go by the way."

Naruto nodded, "so when do I meet this psych?"

"If you pass the initiation, within a couple days, she'll contact you," Ozpin tells him as he watched the blonde, understanding what he was saying.

Ozpin then looked at Naruto, "but I think you'll be fine. Though hand to hand isn't your full strong suit, you scored an A-rank across the board on everything else. Your aura manipulation, in fact, scored an S-rank."

"When you're alone," Naruto took a deep breath, "nothing much else to do but train."

* * *

Naruto was walking into a large open cafeteria, he held his new student handbook. It detailed policies that were never really touched on or just outright forbidden in Signal. The blonde had found an empty table, taking a seat at it. Intent to read the guideline in peace before going to get something to eat.

 _"Although discouraged, alcohol is allowed on the premises during every Saturday and Sunday, Festivals, and holidays. Students are to be expected to keep drinking to a minimum and to keep any intoxicated students from leaving the school grounds or going into Emerald Forest. Failure results in the first punishment being revoking of this privilege, the second failure results in suspension, the third failure is expulsion."_ The handbook read on the matter of alcohol, Naruto flipped the page.

 _"Students here are encouraged to form friendships with their fellow team members once assigned. Sometimes, we understand, these friendships become something on a deeper level. Thusly we understand that the age most students come in is an age where hormones also flare wildly. In the medical wing of the building, you can request condoms, or if you're a female student you can also request to be prescribed birth control."_ Naruto hummed a little bit, it seemed Beacon was much more progressive, despite holding on to old ideas, everyone had their individual right.

Turning the page, Naruto looked at the handbook, humming slightly. _"A student's health is key, thusly it is your responsibility to protect it. Illnesses that can be spread by sexual contact should be reported, confidentiality is promised, and you shall be treated with respect throughout the course of treatment."_

"FOOD FIGHT!" Naruto's eyes snapped open as he dodged a bowl of mashed potatoes that were slammed into the wall next to him, _"whoever threw that has terrible aim."_

Naruto suddenly felt his ears twitched, _"crap!"_

Naruto ducked as a watermelon sails over him, rolling forward as it smashed into the wall behind him. The blonde found a large loaf of bread on the ground, he dashed to it, grabbing and applying aura into the bread to stiffen it as much as possible.

Just then several milk cartons were lobbed like grenades, and from Naruto could see, a glow around them possibly made them as such. Using the stiffen bead Naruto batted the cartoons away, even back toward a tall girl that was throwing them.

It impacted her, covering her in white and chocolate milk, even strawberry.

 _'_ _What a waste of good strawberry milk,'_ Naruto lamented as he held the bread like it was his sword. "Come!"

"Asshole!" The girl screams as she throws several food items at him.

However, stepping forward, like a fencer, Naruto swipes them out of the area. He jumped up and kicked a bowl of mashed potatoes back at her. It crashed into her, covering her head in the substance.

The blonde then dodged a watermelon, running across cafeteria before dodging another. He identified the assailant and went about finding an opening. Finally, he found it as the person grabbed a bunch pudding dishes.

Then the Fox Faunus took a deep breath as he smacked them away with the loaf of bread as they were thrown. Turning and grabbing another one out of midair before throwing it back. He managed to get the person in the head, knocking them down on to the floor.

He moved as several bowls of food flew toward him, he placed the loaf of bread to his side like he would his sword, and when the bowls got near, he slashed the loaf across his field of vision. All the bowls broke, their contents spilling across his area, but the wind from the slash blew anything away from him.

Taking a deep breath, he saw someone move out of the corner of his vision, "Daichi!"

"What?!" A large teen yelled as he hurled watermelons across the room.

A girl wearing a bonnet slammed the table, flipping it for cover, "don't let pizza sauce get on my clothes man, sheesh, I'm a VIP here!"

A splash of tomato suddenly impacted the large teen, some of it flying onto the girl's bonnet, "mother…"

She bit her tongue at the end, "hit them back already!"

"I'm trying damn it, Coal, screw you!" Daichi screams as he picked up some jelly and slings it at the student he screamed at.

Coco yelps when mash potatoes nearly splash on her. Sliding over and bumping against an auburn haired teen. The teen nearly was toppled over when she impacted him, the teen turned around and looked right at her.

"Coco, seriously," a boy with auburn hair by her and blank eyes stated as he tossed apples across the school with Daichi, "where's Velvet?!"

"Crap!" Daichi saw Velvet unarmed, running for cover, "she's got the worst luck in these cases."

Suddenly he saw a blonde fox Faunus behind her, only to watch him grab another piece of bread after tossing pie into a student's face.

Using the two loaves in his hands, Naruto spun around as he knocked away food, using his dancing skills and self-training to the fullest as he blocked and knocked away various food. He looked behind him, noting that a bunny girl was taking cover behind a table.

"Is this a common thing?!" Naruto inquires as he jumped up to avoid a chair.

The girl nodded, "it happens a couple times a year, sometimes more, in this case…more."

Naruto nodded, jumping up and throwing one of the loaves into an older student. Landing back down, he used his lone loaf to swipe at incoming food, sighing as he put one hand behind him. The girl, Velvet, looked at him and blinked.

She then looked to her side, finding a tray, "here!"

Naruto caught it with his hand, flipping it over to where he could use his aura to grip it and turn it into a small shield. Naruto blocked food thrown at him, hopping over the table and flipping it over to hide with the rabbit Faunus leaned back against it.

"Never seen you here before, transfer?" She inquired.

"No, still what they call an unproven, I am here early…" Naruto replies as he peaked up and barely avoided a bowl of spaghetti.

He then had an idea, smashing the bread loaf to where it was then, he reached over from the bowl, plucking a few strings of spaghetti before tying them at the ends to form a makeshift food-bow. Naruto took a deep breath.

Now with his strongest skill coming into play, Naruto could now use archery with food, playing to the distance and return fire. The blonde fox Faunus took a deep breath, grabbing a long asparagus stick and placing it on the noodle string which had aura flowing into it.

"You're a newbie, holy crap, you're not supposed to be engaging us." Velvet pointed out as she looked around, finding there was an exit door, "you need to leave."

"What," Naruto pulled the stick back, "and look like a coward?"

"No, you could get in trouble," Velvet stated, "I could give you covering fire."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "fine, don't cover me though."

"Right," She grabbed several bowls, "go!"

Naruto ran from the table's cover, jumping and vaulting off another table, he dodged several food items before launching the stick and making hit a larger teen in the head which knocked him out. He landed, somersaulting just in time to avoid another round of foods being thrown at him.

 _"Why the hell are they targeting me?!"_ Naruto mentally screamed as he dashed for the door, sliding across the ground when he neared it.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto rolled and got behind the wall, "holy crap this place is nuts."

"Not again, not again, not again." Naruto looked up to see Glynda running toward the cafeteria, she flung open the door only to get hit the face by a pumpkin pie.

The blonde against the wall couldn't help it, he struggled, but slowly the snickering broke into laughter. He took a deep breath when she turned her fierce green eyes toward him, he fidgeted slightly, he felt like he was staring right into a demon's eyes.

"What's…so…funny, Mr. Namikaze?" Glynda inquires in a sickly sweet tone, she smacks her riding crop on her hand, "hmm."

"N-nothing, hahaha, just…well…" Naruto took a deep breath, "I didn't start this, Dattebayo!"

"Oh, I know," Glynda turned to face the cafeteria, "but you will be there to help since your participated."

"Huh?" Naruto looked at his bread bow, frowning, _"rule of thumb…destroy evidence."_

"Twins be damned, what the hell happened to my cafeteria?!" Glynda suddenly roared as she kicked open the doors.

Naruto made a note not to get on her bad side, she already scared him enough.

Walking into the common room, Naruto yawns, it was an interesting first day here. Taking a few steps toward the couch, Naruto collapsed down into it, his muffled mumbling into the pillow only signified the amount of exhaustion he felt.

Glynda had made him, along with several students scrub the cafeteria, he should've eaten the damn bow when he had the chance.

* * *

He was hungry, not like before, but still, he felt his stomach grumble. Getting up off the couch, he growled a little bit as he held his stomach.

"Alright, alright, sheesh…" Naruto mumbled as he walked toward the refrigerator, he saw an assortment of food inside.

Humming, he reaches in and grabs a few sandwich meats. Making a turkey and ham sandwich with some wheat bread from the top of the refrigerator, he goes back to the couch. It was currently one in the morning, he took a moment to sit and get comfortable.

Feeling something dig into his back, he looked to the side and found a remote. He hadn't watched any sort of T.V in years. Unless it was on his scroll he never bothered, films and all, and ValeFlix was on a sort of decline.

Looking at the small plasma screen across from him, shrugging, he turns it on and found that it was on a mystery show called VNCIS, Vale Navy Criminal Investigation Service. He leaned back, looking at the characters chasing a perp through an alley, only for an older man to tackle him.

 _"Damn Gibbs,"_ a rather good-looking man said. _"How the…how the hell?"_

 _"It's called Marine training DiNozzo,"_ the older man, Gibbs told the younger man, _"cuff 'em."_

The blonde found himself smiling, he looked at them dragging the bad guy in _, 'this seems interesting…'_

* * *

Ozpin was in his office in the morning, looking at Professor Peach, she was sitting in the chair in front of him. The resident dust expert and medical professional took a look at the file in front of her. She hummed, her peach colored hair that was in twirls bounced as she nodded her head, her sapphire colored eyes skimmed through the file of Naruto Namikaze.

The dark skinned beauty listened to what he had to say with fervor, she took her job seriously in these matters. Finally, she watches him finish talking, and then gives her evaluation of what he had just said.

"Are you sure you haven't made a mistake by letting him in?" Peach inquires as she shifted in her seat.

Ozpin looked right into her eyes, "I have made plenty of errors in my lifetime Professor. However, accepting wayward students has _never_ been one of them."

"If we allow youth to go wasted, talent to be ignored, that's just a victory for Grimm. Each time, every time, we allow those who could've been taught to slip our fingers they win. Because our motto is very simple." Ozpin replied.

"Only through practice and knowledge can I, a Huntsman, become a Vanguard." Ozpin recites from memory, since he came up with the motto himself.

Peach sighed, "true, but even then, we must take into the account of someone's baggage that they bring with them."

"An A-Rank is difficult to achieve, but he's across the board with an S-Rank in Aura Manipulation. A skill that many students don't properly learn until their junior year." Ozpin points out, and then looks at her, "he's a prodigy and he even knows it."

"But," Peach looked right into the file, "that doesn't change the fact that there are core issues."

"Abandonment issues, not to mention the hell that was the little snippet about the supposed child abuse at the hand of his foster family for a time. There could be so many things wrong with him, _no one_ comes out from that with just depression. Especially if they remain closed off, they feel guilt, they feel like they're at fault." Peach argues as she crosses her arms, "quite frankly speaking it's a volatile mix."

"Also," she reached over and grabbed the file. "I want to point out how he describes his depression as a second little voice in his head."

"Which means?" Ozpin wanted clarity.

"There are much bigger issues than clinical depression, and that someone in Atlas needs to be fired for not referring him to a psychologist. And, I'm not talking about Winter." Peach hisses as she leaned back into her chair, "Ironwood…"

"James means well…" Ozpin sighs, "but he has a history of pushing his students a bit too rough sometimes."

"Which is exactly why we model our ways the opposite, while he believes power brings strength, knowledge and patience brings clarity." The Headmaster continued as he took a sip of his cocoa.

"So, are we keeping Naruto Namikaze?" Peach inquired, "if I need to prep for interview."

"Yes," Ozpin answers her, "we are going to keep him."


	6. Episode Six: Unproven

Yang got up from bed, she looked at her sister, "sis!"

Ruby eyes opened wide, "wha-what?!"

"Today is the day!" Yang cheers, picking up her sister, "and we need to get going."

"Y-Yang?!" Ruby yells and looks at the clock, "gah!"

Ruby and Yang started getting dressed, looking at the bags that they had packed, they both were going to Beacon. Turns out Ruby was a little Billy Bad Ass and managed to stop a dust robbery a few days before graduation.

That granted her access to Beacon, apparently it impressed the Headmaster of the academy enough to let her in. Yang was the first to get ready, grabbing her gear and other stuff. She quickly got the keys to her motorcycle, Bumblebee.

"Ruby c'mon, work on your corset later!" Yang barks as she exits the room.

The little sister of Yang managed to fix her corset, running out of the room while slipping her combat boots on. They both run downstairs, where their father was waiting. Taiyang had breakfast made, a whole meal.

"Hey girls," Taiyang greeted his family with a smile. "I made you both breakfast."

They looked at the clock, noting that the time, they had plenty of it. Quickly they both sat at the table, with Taiyang watching them as they said a quick prayer and began to eat. They both had coffee, well, Ruby's was mixed with a little bit of milk.

Taiyang sighs, _'I think me and Qrow raised them right, Summer.'_

Ruby lets out a loud burp, causing Yang to stop eating and look at her sister. The little girl had a innocent looking grimace, she rubbed the back of her head.

"Wow Ruby, you really _Rose_ to the occasion," Yang punned at Ruby's expense.

"really Yang," Ruby whimpers, "really?"

"Yep!" Yang said chirpily as she reached over and grabbed some salt.

The two girls quickly finished their breakfast, Taiyang stood at the door, which was open for them. Yang walks up first and gives her dad a big hug. The man smiles, holding her as he looked down at her blonde hair and gave a kiss on her head.

It was his baby girls, and he had to let them go into the world.

It was hard on him, and as Yang walked out of the door Ruby was next. She slammed into him, hugging him hard and squeezing tightly. The rose of the family then slowly walked out of the door just as Yang pulled up with Bumblebee.

Taiyang then took a deep breath, walking outside, "girls!"

Yang opened her visor, "yeah dad?"

"I love you both," Tai tells them with a big goofy smile on his face. "Your mother would be proud…"

"Thanks dad," Yang looks at him as she thanked him.

Both looked at each other, Ruby suddenly started having tears coming out of her eyes, "we'll call every day!"

"And I'll make sure Ruby doesn't go off and get a boyfriend!" Yang offers up, laughing when she saw her sister pout.

The tears drying from her eyes, "Yang~"

Ruby got on, getting a red helmet from her sister, they took one look back at their dad who was the door. They wave at him, and Yang began to drive off.

Taiyang stood there at the door, slowly a tear fell from his face. He stayed standing there, until finally, the sound of Yang's motorcycle was drowned out from the background noise of the forest.

There and then, Taiyang began to weep as he slid down his door, _'wish you were here to see this…Summer…our babies…'_

"Really?" Taiyang looked up at the familiar voice to find Qrow, "you're gonna break down on a happy day…"

Qrow sighs as he took a seat by Taiyang, holding a beer out to him, "it isn't a goodbye Tai."

"Yeah," Taiyang agreed as he took a sip of the bear. "I just wish she was hear to see it."

Both Qrow and Taiyang looked up at the tree, there under it was Summer's grave.

"I know…" Qrow put his arm around Taiyang's shoulder, "wish she was here too buddy…"

"Do you think she's watching right now, she's probably laughing at me for crying." Taiyang confesses as he rubbed the back of his head, "right?"

"Nah," Qrow disagreed as he took a sip from his beer. "I think she's crying with you. She loved them both very much, and I think she's weeping because both her girls are growing up."

"She loved Yang like she had given birth to her, even nursed when she was young…" Taiyang said as he took a deep breath, "I didn't appreciate her like I should've."

"Bullshit," Qrow stated as he looked at her grave and pointed at it. "You did… _we_ did _everything_ we could to raise them."

"You know Qrow, despite what you say, you'd actually make a good father." Taiyang said to his longtime friend, "ya know?"

"Still waiting on the right woman," Qrow answers as he thought about one in particular. "But you know how it is."

"Ahh," Tai already knew who he was referring to, "well…it'll all work out in the end."

"Hopefully, know what I said to Naruto before he left?" Qrow questioned Taiyang.

Taiyang looked at him, "what?"

"I wish I had son like him, yeah he's got problems, but I goddamn if not proud of him constantly fighting against them. Me, I turn to the bottle every so often, skirt chasing…" Qrow took a deep breath, "those girls and that kid…I feel like is the only thing I did right in world."

"Nah man, you did plenty of rights, and we've done plenty of wrongs. However, guilt is only effective if you let continue to eat you. We did our duty, we did what thought was right, no one could ever fault us on that part." Taiyang took a deep breath and got up and offered his hand to Qrow.

"C'mon…I saved you plate," Taiyang smiles.

* * *

Naruto was waking up, yawning as he got off the couch, he really needed to thank Velvet for stopping by and handing him a blanket. He had a book on the floor, a book he procured from the library late at night.

Luckily it was open twenty four hours a day.

He had quickly gotten bored of T.V and decided to read some books. He specifically got manga books, with Samurai Champion and Kitsu, a well known anime character with a demonic heritage working with a sworn enemy to save the world.

Closing the book, he puts on a shirt and quickly goes about grabbing his gear and getting ready for the day. Walking over to the fridge the blonde got out some sandwich meats and just ate it. He didn't bother to make a sandwich with it, just ate it.

Walking over toward the door of the common room he exits. The hallway was silent, unlike the last few days. The second year students were going to help with student registry. Listening to music in his human ears, Naruto hums as he walks his way down the halls.

His sketchpad was in his belt line, he always kept it there, just in case he found inspiration to draw. The teen made his way outside, there, fresh rain was slowly settling into the ground. He saw where gardeners had neglected to take care of the gardens around the center fountain of Beacon.

Frowning, Naruto walks over the patch of sunflowers. Weeds were slowly choking the life out of them, and without thinking much about he drops down to his knees and begins to pull out the weeds. Taking the muddy soil that came up with each pull and cupping it over the base of the sunflower to give it extra nutrients that would soak downwards with the rain heading toward the water table.

Pretty soon, he lost himself into the task, quickly straightening up some more of the garden as he went along.

* * *

Ozpin was sitting in his office, looking out of his window at the blonde, _'hmm…'_

 _'Even basic of life, precious life, isn't lost to you.'_ Ozpin smiles as he watches the clouds give way to the sun, _'but I can't put my finger on it…I feel like we've met before.'_

* * *

Yang was watching as a blonde haired teen hurled into the trashcan, "wow."

"I know right," Ruby said as she looked at her sister. "Some people can't handle flying."

"Yep," Yang agrees as she leans against the bay doors. "To be fair, I used to have that problem."

"True," Ruby agreed and smiled. "But that was when we were kids."

"Anyone got…any…meds?" The blonde teen inquires as he slumped down and onto the floor.

"Nope." Yang popped.

Ruby nods, "not going anywhere near there, last thing I need is upchuck on my battle skirt."

"Ruby…you have a lot of "battle" skirts," Yang quoted with her fingers. "They're just skirts."

"Na uh, they're battle skirts, meh!" Ruby stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Yang took a moment and looked out of the windows, "I see Beacon."

Ruby rushes to the window, her eyes glitter with glee, "ah~"

"So cool," Ruby says with a excitement, "I can't wait!"

"Yeah, me and my baby sister fighting side by side, kicking Grimm ass. Who knows," Yang looked slyly at Ruby, "I could be the leader of our foursome."

Ruby looked at Yang, "really…a perverted pun?"

"Second verse, same as the first, perverted puns aren't the worst." Yang rhymed as she winked at the vomiting boy, who only groans.

"Well yeah…I can rhyme too, ya know, are…are you slow?" Ruby nervously tried to rhyme, much to Yang's entertainment.

"I know what you are, but what am I?" Yang countered.

Ruby groans, pinching her nose, "my brain…"

They then heard a new reporter come over the hologram in the center, _"this is Vale News Network. I'm Lisa Lavender. A from a few nights ago an attack at the From Dust till Dawn dust shop is still being investigated. Believed to be in connection with other robberies committed by The Torchwick Gang. Any, and all information, will be helpful in the capture of these dangerous rapscallions."_

 _"In other news today, the rains from the morning are going to give way for a pleasant October day. Get out there, enjoy the pleasant weather, because it will soon start dropping. The weather control centers all agree this winter as well will be bitter cold, but let's not also forget that good news is in the air today."_ The hologram sputtered for a moment, before changing over to one of a blonde haired woman.

 _"Hello, allow me to welcome you to Beacon Academy. You're among the privileged few who have gained the honor to attend our prestigious academy in time of unprecedented peace. To which, as Huntsman in training, will your task to maintain and grow. Welcome,"_ everyone felt the jolt of the airship landing, _"to Beacon Academy."_

Ruby was the first one out, she looked at the academy with the joys of a princess looking at her castle. Her eyes gleamed, glowing with excitement as she saw various people finally leave their aircraft.

"Oh my God, Yang, look!" Ruby pointed toward several people, drawing to attention slightly, "that guy has a flame sword, she has chakrams!"

"Yeah, yeah, Ruby. Hey, tone it down a little, alright?" Yang looks around for a friends.

Yang then got swarmed by her friends, all of them dragging her, "sorry Rubes I'll see you inside!"

"No, Yang, wait!" Ruby screams, but they fell on deaf years as Yang ran inside of Beacon.

At least that was the plan until her friends and her bumped into a crouching Naruto when they weren't paying attention. Midori and Sasha kept going, it was race to them, while Iris got up and rejoined them.

Yang on the other hand looked at the teen below her, "oh God, we're so sorry!"

"It's cool," the blonde Fox Faunus says as he gets up, rubbing his head. "My mom always said I was hardheaded."

"Ha, are you…a gardener?" Yang inquires, trying to make sure she got him pegged rightly.

"Um, no, I'm a student here. In fact, I'm new arrival, I just got here early. Ya know, just…uh…working to past the time." Naruto rubs the back of his head where the lump was forming, "um…who are you?"

"Oh, damn that's right, I'm Yang!" She throws her hand out in front of him.

He took it, shaking it, "um…I'm Naruto."

"Naruto, huh, name sounds familiar. So…" she looked him over a little, "you good?"

"Oh yeah, totally, see around I gotta go yell at my friends for not stopping. Frigging jerks I tell ya," she said and then stopped, "I swear you look familiar."

"Nah, I don't think I've ever been near you." Naruto told her, lying.

She shrugs and quickly runs to get back with her friends. The blonde sighs, looking at the finished garden. It was already looking healthier, but as he went to step away his ears picked up arguing.

That's when he saw her, Weiss Schnee. _'That's Ruby, but what's she doing here…and what's that red stuff...oh shit…"_

BOOM!

* * *

Ozpin was looking outside, watching as Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee literally exploded. The man should've been freaking out, worrying about them, but instead he just casually sipped his cocoa. They were fine, their aura protected them, but the funny thing about it was the only thing on his mind right now was what he was going to have for dinner tonight.

 _'Call it irony do to the explosion,'_ Ozpin sips his mug. _'But I believe I am in the mood for something spicy tonight.'_

He hums a little, _'and some fried ice cream…lords know I need comfort.'_

 _'Ah, they're fine, just a little singed. Well, Ruby is anyway, Schnee on the other hand…well…she's Schnee.'_ Ozpin hummed while he muses, "Oh well."

He walks away from the window, stopping slightly, _'wait a bloody second…"_

He walks backward, literally, and comes back to the window. He stares out the window, adjusting his bifocals, he noticed another blonde hair teen, one that was stumbling off the aircraft.

 _'Color me impressed,'_ Ozpin frowns at the window, _'well…if you survive long enough for me to actually debate keeping here…Jaune Arc.'_

* * *

"Gah you idiot!" The snow colored girl yells.

Ruby was shaking the singe off her, literally, "me?! You're the one waving the cracked vial around like a madwoman!"

"Do you have any idea who I am?" The girl yells.

"Weiss Schnee…" both stopped arguing, turning to a black haired girl with yellow eyes, "heiress to The Schnee Dust Company family fortune."

"See," Weiss points at the girl, "it's nice to get some recognition."

"Yeah…about that," the girl looks at Weiss, "your family dealings are just legal forms of bribery and theft. Honestly, your father is probably the worst crook on Remnant."

Weiss couldn't respond, all she could do was hang her mouth open and her pointing finger droop. The mysterious girl just sighs, walking away, and when Weiss finally regained her composure the men escorting her things to storage began anew.

Ruby took the moment to get away, using her semblance.

Weiss growls as she looks around, growling as she walks toward the school, "out of the way gardener!"

She brushes past Naruto, who just stands there.

 _'Exploding girls, an heiress, a mysterious girl, and one that should know me…go with flow Naruto, Dattebayo…'_ Naruto mused before walking toward Beacon.

Only then did someone run by him, with a blonde of her by her side, "hey you!"

"Hmm?" Naruto hummed.

"Have you seen my big sis? She's tall, blonde, lilac eyes…very chesty." Ruby inquires.

"Yeah, she and friends ran me over, that went toward the front entrance." Naruto told them, "need help?"

"No, I'll find her, thank you!" She yells while running with the other blonde, but then slows down when taking a corner.

* * *

The blonde sighed, walking through the school, into the auditorium where the students would be gathered for Ozpin's speech. Naruto found himself a nice back corner, where he no one else would probably like to stand.

Pressing himself against the wall, sketchpad in tow, Naruto had begun to draw out the area. Taking notes of the various things, including the stage, he lost himself in the scribbling so much that he never noticed the auditorium starting to fill up with people.

Humming, he lost himself enough in the sketching that he flipped pages, he even made a sketch of the recently met fellow blonde, Yang Xiao-Long, he knew her. He knew her simply because they had gone to school together, and it hurt to meet her because despite them going in the same school together for over a year she just thought he was gardener here.

Sighing in his thoughts, he couldn't help but think of her, he never really got up close to her before, so he never took note of how she looked. She had Taiyang's eyes, his jawline, but everything else had to come from her mother.

A fiery beauty.

Chuckling, Naruto began to sketch her, the details were very spot on for just having met her true face to face. If Taiyang was anything to go by Naruto knew she was bubbly, always talking, Tai had a motormouth.

Humming, it reminded him of his mom, she was always talking.

Business, work, life, gardening, and even poetry she wrote.

Naruto kept a scrapbook of all her poetry work, it was one of the most precious things he kept, with it being locked in a lock box along with his mother's necklace. The lockbox itself was by her urn in the storage unit he had under the courtyard.

Tapping on the mic, the booming sound of loudspeakers, all brought Naruto to focus on Ozpin as he took the stage.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Ozpin spoke with fervor in the mic, he looked at the students, "thank you for your time."

The students looked at each other, the new ones all looked about, were they being scolded?

Glynda then took the podium, "alright children, listen up."

"For all new students here today you are deemed unproven, fresh and truly not proven enough to fully walk these halls with your heads up high. So, tomorrow morning, an initiation test will take place tomorrow morning. You'll be able to access locker rooms for the freshmen wing that morning, grab ammo if you need it, sharpen your weapons if you must." Glynda put her hands behind her back, looking at all of them, "because the test is a live fire exercise, and no one is promised safety, unlike the vocational academies you've come from."

She then took a deep breath, "you all will sleep here, in the auditorium, tonight."

"Those who pass tomorrow's exam will be known as Proven and will go forward to experience education in the ways of a Huntsman. Those who die, though tragic, will be retrieved later on. For those that fail the exam, do not fret, you can always improve and take it next time." Glynda then nodded and looked at the students, "welcome to the academy."

* * *

Standing on the top of an observation tower, sneaking away from everyone, Naruto found himself in sweet loneliness, sketching on the sketchpad with excitement as he saw several rare birds standing on the railing of the observation tower.

Blue Mocking Jays, their beautiful wings fluttered in the winds, he managed to sketch several different ones as they flew and landed on the railing. Eating out of a food container full of birdseed, the blonde turned to the sound of chirping.

He looked up, seeing a small nest, however, his eyes widened when he noticed a giant wolf spider crawling toward it. Using his pencil, Naruto threw it with pinpoint accuracy and hit the spider in the thorax, impaling it and making it fall to the floor.

Getting his pencil from the spider, Naruto just wipes the blood on his pants left leg. Twirling the pencil back around to continuing sketching, he then felt something on his shoulder. Rolling his eyes, he turned his head only to find a large light blue Mocking Jay on his shoulder.

It chirps like it was talking to him, the blonde smiled and held out his finger. It flew down to it, chirping, even more, facing him. Taking a minute, the blonde followed the pattern and whistled himself. The bird calls back to it, making him chuckle.

 _'I once read in a book you're supposed to very intelligent,'_ Naruto raised his finger up to the nest, _'are these your babies?'_

The bird hopped up into the nest, lying next to the chicks while chirping at Naruto still. The blonde used his index finger to gently brush against the bird.

The blonde closed his eyes and smiled, "you're a very beautiful mother."

"Never took the artist for an outdoorsmen." A familiar voice filled the room, Naruto turned to see Ozpin.

Ozpin waved him off, "and Mocking Jays are very intelligent birds. In fact, that one's named Celica."

"How do you know that, for all you know she could be called Sherry," Naruto responds with a scoff as he leaned against the wall.

Ozpin chuckles, "because I breed them."

"Wait," Naruto looked at the birds. "You breed Mocking Jays?"

"Of course, I do, the other female running about is called Katniss and Prim, named after the legendary Huntress and Healer sisters. They haven't rooted yet, but they mostly fly around Celica as a sort "click" if you will." Ozpin holds his finger out, kissing at the bird, the bird surprisingly flew onto the man's finger.

The headmaster smirked, "ah, Celica. Have thou been nestling her eggs too little?"

"Too little, aren't birds supposed to have a maternal instinct?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, but like humans and Faunus, they aren't perfect. In fact," Ozpin placed Celica back in her nest, "the imperfection of life is what makes its beauty prevalent."

"The colors of a painting, chaos given form, otherwise if it was all uniformed…it'd just be a blank white canvas, no?" Ozpin yawns as he looked at the blonde, watching him nod.

Naruto nodded, "so, is it true there is a chance of dying during tomorrow's test?"

"Yes," Ozpin looked at Naruto, "you aren't just going to walk in and get mauled, are you?"

"No," Naruto waved him off, "just wondering."

They turned to see Kakashi standing there, "all areas of the school secured, I figured that this kid would be out of the group."

"Ah, Kakashi, I was merely talking to the boy about my Mocking Jays. Anyway, as it stands Naruto, you are in violation of a rule just set…please return to the auditorium." Ozpin orders him as he walks him toward Kakashi, "have a good rest…you shall need it."

* * *

Yang was with Ruby, "my God you really did explode."

"Yeah, she did, this klutz almost killed us both!" A white-haired girl with an offsetting ponytail yelled and pointed at Ruby, "why is a child even here?"

"W-well, I got invited here, by Oz-Ozpin." Ruby points out.

"Please," Weiss rolled her eyes, "like the most prestigious headmaster of the four main academies just invites small little girls into a Huntsman academy."

"Okay, whoa and back the hell off, my sis could kick your ass," Yang states as she looked at the girl.

"Please," Weiss scoffed as she spoke, "she couldn't last ten seconds in an actual fight."

"Weiss I was top of my class," Ruby stated as she crossed her arms, "and I even beat my dad using weapons."

"And," Yang sings out, "our dad was a Huntsman~"

Weiss hummed, "well, then you can back up your words in the test then. But, unlike daddy dearest, Grimm won't go easy on anyone."

"Pfft, you just need to worry about yourself girly, because I am pretty sure it is you who need a wake-up call." Yang jabs her finger into Weiss's chest, "so nighty night sweetie~"

Yang watched as Weiss scoffs, walking away with audible humph. The blonde lilac eyed girl just shook her head, looking down at her sister, ruffling the girl's mixture of black and red.

"I'm proud of you," Yang laughed, "you already made a rival here."

"You did most of the talking for me, and she's right, dad was going easy. I mean, he still kicks your butt, and now I have to back that up somehow, gah…Blake…can you help me out a little?" Both turned to the raven-haired girl, who was reading a book that was not porn and definitely not daydreaming of being a character in that book.

A particular scene for which, luckily, the candlelight hid her blushing. After all it was about a Cat Faunus, much like herself, seducing a Fox God. Though, to be fair, they played it coy for a long time before just jumping into the sack together.

She looked up from her book, "trying to rationalize with a Schnee is the same of trying to talk to a Beowolf."

"Wow," Yang chuckles a little bit, "so you're just going to let her go?"

"People like The Schnee just love to bark orders, get waited on, and in the end, they only produced a single honorable heir and they disinherited her…" Blake shut her book, "and that _woman_ currently is in the military."

"We," Yang giggles as she sits down, "will definitely be good friends."

Blake couldn't help it, she chuckled a little, "heh, maybe."

"Hey, who knows, we could end _Yang-ing_ out." Yang punned.

Blake looked up at the blonde haired teen, "really?"

"I apologize on behalf of my sister," Ruby said as she looked at Yang.

"Hmm," she hummed and watched as a white haired man escorted a blonde into the room, "I'll be hot dragoness it is."

Blake looked up, "guy?"

"Yeah, when we arrived, I rushed off to meet with my friends and we almost ran down another student on the way in. Could've sworn I saw him somewhere before we came here." Yang says as she leaned back on her pillow.

"Well for one he was carrying a weapon," Blake looked at it, "and it's a chokuto."

"Let me guess," Ruby slid to where she was in front of Blake and eyed her weapon, "katana?"

"Katana-Kusarigama-Gun Hybrid, I made it myself in…Mistral." Blake quickly responds as she closed her book, "do you believe in personal space by the way Ruby?"

"A little, yeah, whoa!" Ruby was pushed back a little by Blake, making her fall on her rear.

Blake chuckled, "thank you very much."

" But is it possible you went to school with him?" Blake inquires, trying to help solve the mystery.

Yang hummed, thinking, "well he's a Faunus and there wasn't many of them in Signal."

 _Yang walked into class, it was weapons modification, she had her gauntlets on her hands. She hummed as she took a seat by Amber and Pyrite, humming as she began to dismantle her gauntlets. A few other students walked in, with a blonde walking in behind them._

 _He had fox ears, he walked toward the back of the class, leaning against the wall in a chair and taking a nap._

 _"Oi, isn't that the loser that always sleeps in class?" Sasha asked, playing with her dirty blonde hair._

 _Midori shrugs, "don't know, I heard that he still passes his tests though."_

 _"How do they let losers like that here, I mean c'mon, take this shit seriously. We're going to be defending humanity and Faunus kind. You can't even bother staying awake for one class, then you shouldn't be here, right Yang?" Iris inquires her friend's opinion._

 _Yang nodded, "well duh, we're supposed to be working hard. Maybe he comes from money, I don't know, but you're right when it comes down to it, we have no use for lazy people."_

 _"Seriously, like what a loser, he's worse than Cardin…at least the jerk puts an effort in." Midori rolls her eyes and sighs, "if he goes into Beacon we need to list as an AACP."_

 _"Avoid at All Cost Person, ooh," Sasha grimaced._

 _"Yeah, he'll just bring a team down, hey Yang you in there?" Midori inquires, she leaned back, working on her war ax with the grinder._

 _"Yeah, of course, I am, let's just get to work," Yang says as she begins to modify her weapons._

Yang leaned up as she declares, "oh my God, now I recognize him!"

She looked at Ruby, "Ruby, he's an AACP."

"Oh crap, really, that bad?" Ruby gasped as she questioned Yang.

"Yes," Yang pinched her nose, "damn it how did he make it in, all he does is sleep in class."

Blake grumbled, "just because you don't see it doesn't mean it is not there."

Both girls turn to her, she sighed, "all I am saying is…Ozpin wouldn't be shallow to take someone so lazy in…unless they do put the work in secretly."

"No," Yang pointed out as she saw her two friends and their boyfriends laying together, "my friends share classes with him and all he did was sleep-sleep-and sleep!"

Blake hummed, "well, I never did say that he wasn't lazy."

"However, might I point that monks always it and pray, but that is what they're supposed to do. It doesn't make them lazy, if you don't see what goes on in someone else's life then don't judge them." Blake argues as she leaned back on the wall some more.

"I'm not judging," Yang argued. "I just know what I saw for over a year, every day except for combat and range class, he even got taken in for cheating at one point."

"He did?" Ruby questions at her sister, "but then why did dad keep him in the school?"

"I don't know Ruby, I wish I knew, that's all Iris, Midori and Sasha ever barked on about. How we put in the work, and yet someone so lazy managed to get in." Yang grumbles, "no wonder they ran him over…should've kept walking."

"And be worse?" Blake questioned Yang as she looked at the lilac eyed girl, "really need to calm down and observe the situation a little bit better."

"Really, how so, you don't know him." Yang shot back at Blake.

The hazel eyed girl just glared at Yang, "and you just couldn't remember him. Trust me when I say this Yang, you can judge people all you want, but most likely the people you judge doesn't judge you."

"All it does, being serious, makes you out to be a jerk." Blake finishes.

Yang rolls her eyes at Blake, "I'm done with this conversation over a boy…besides there are others to focus on."

Blake sighs, "true…but still consider what I said."

"I will," she then pointed at her head. "See, considered."

Blake sighs, looking over at Ruby, "so how do you feel being here…Ruby?"

Ruby sighed, "well, now it just feels overwhelming that we're here…"

"Well get some sleep," Yang told her sister. "We're gonna be busting our asses tomorrow."

Blake nodded, "now that I can get behind."

Across the room, Naruto just huddled on the corner of a wall, yawning as he looked out of the window and toward the moon.

Taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes and falls into a deep slumber.

* * *

 _"No, I'm not saying that Kushina, I'm just saying that our son the most important one in all of this." An older blonde with whisker marks on his face stated to a redheaded woman, her face was flushed with anger._

 _She jabbed her finger into his chest, "I don't care if that mission pays a billion liens, you're not going on it!"_

 _"It'll just be really quick, in and out, and I'll be back in time to celebrate our son's fourth birthday…I promise." The older man cupped the woman's cheek, "besides…you know about my special skillset…it's not like I'll go down super easy."_

 _Kushina couldn't help it, she just laughed, "I just love you…and I don't want nothing to happen to you."_

 _The man laughed, "Gods, you remind me of my mother, but I promise you that'll be home and even bring the carrot cake."_

 _He laughs, "who'd thunk it that our son would be a Fox Faunus that loved carrot cake."_

 _The woman laughed, stroking his cheek, "well like mother like son, I guess. I loved carrots growing up, bout the only vegetable I'd eat…and ramen."_

 _"Ramen isn't a vegetable!" The man jokingly points out._

 _"Bull, it's made from rice and wheat, it is a vegetable." Kushina argues as she glared at her husband._

 _They both turned to a toddler in a chair, the man walked over to the toddler, "hey buddy what you are working on there?"_

 _"You daddy," the toddler laughs, "I love you, daddy."_

 _"I love you too Naruto, my little sunshine." The man rubbed the toddlers head, taking a seat next to him._

 _The older blonde laughed, "you got my face askew there."_

 _"As-what?" The toddler inquires._

 _"Askew little man, it means its off," the man reached over and helped guide his son's hand._

 _Kushina looked at him, " he needs to go to bed."_

 _The man got up, smiling as he picked up the toddler, "I know…I'll take him to bed."_

 _The woman smiled, winking at him a little. "I'll be in the Livingroom…come cuddle with me when you tuck him in."_

 _Taking his son into the room, the man, Minato slowly placed his son into the bed. The man stroked the child's head, kissing it._

 _"Hey," the man questions his son, "you remember our little lullaby?"_

 _The little boy nodded, coughing a little, and he looked up at his dad._

 _"You are my sunshine…my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take…my sunshine away." Minato and his son sang as he the boy yawns toward the end of it._

 _The boy cuddled against his father's hand._

 _"Please don't take my sunshine…aw-away…" the heard the boy yawn some more, only to slowly watch him fall asleep._

 _The last thing the child felt as sleep took him was his father's lips pressing against his forehead._

 _For the very last time._

* * *

Naruto was still laying against the wall, Kakashi was making his rounds in the room, some students were awake. However, he didn't notice them, he did notice Naruto alone in the corner. He was humming in his sleep.

He watched as the blonde's mouth open, "please…don't…take my sunshine…away…"

The white-haired man sighed, he watches as the blonde a had a tear going down his face.


	7. Episode Seven: Initiation Test

"Good morning students," Glynda Goodwitch said as she walked into the ballroom. "As you are aware, your initiation begins this morning. I have come to inform that we've accidentally left out a detail from yesterdays' speech."

The students began to murmur to each other.

"The first person you see upon landing," Glynda looks right into their eyes, "will be your partner for the next four years."

Yang's eyes bugged out a little bit, Ruby just stood there stunned. All the while everyone was trying to look around, looking at friends and enemies alike. The group of students began to talk among one another, and some began to get loud.

Glynda held her hands up, "students!"

They all turned to her, "you have thirty minutes to be in the staging area."

Naruto quickly took the opportunity to duck out of the crowd, jogging into the lockers with very few behind himself.

* * *

Beacon Academy was lively, every new student was getting ready for the initiation down in the locker rooms. Naruto managed to find a locker, locker number zero-ten, his lucky numbers were always nine and ten. Getting a locker that was marked zero-ten was just a formality, he had a gym bag with him, shoving in clothing at the bottom.

Without money to buy a proper uniform for being a Huntsman in training, Naruto was going to have to get newer clothes sooner or later.

Getting a pair of black cargo pants, with a red long-sleeved shirt that was baggy. He was a size M, barely, but wore shirts that were two-XL. His cargo pants were also a couple sizes too big, but that's because he lost some weight over the year too. He did wear his clothing like this because he also knew that Huntsmen were also operatives and if it ever is his fancy, he'd had a hiding place in plain sight.

Red Flower was secured behind him on his left hip, he yawns and growled a little unconsciously as he shut the locker.

"Can you believe what they said this morning," a rusty-haired teen said as he walked with a teen with a greenish-yellow mohawk.

The one with the rust-colored hair had full body armor on, while the other just had a shirt with shoulder pads and knee pads. He had two daggers on his side, and while talking to the rust-colored haired teen he took note of Naruto staring at them.

"Hey, freak-zoid, got something to say?" The teen questioned Naruto rudely.

The blonde shook his head, turning around as he put himself away from them. The two looked at each other, swearing they knew him from somewhere. The mohawk teen then realized who it was, turning to his best friend and fellow bully.

"Cardin wasn't that the kid from Signal, the one that always slept, how the fuck did he get in?" The dagger wielder questioned his friend.

"Don't know Russel," Cardin smugly remarked at Naruto's direction. "But I hope he doesn't fall asleep on his team."

"Yeah, that would suck!" Russel declared as he walked with a friend toward the staging area.

In the middle of the room, the blonde that had helped Ruby look for her sister was currently trying to talk to Weiss. The boy was getting shutdown, and looked slightly sad until he felt a pat on his shoulder.

"Hey cheer up," the redhead said with a smile. "You've got to be in good spirits today!"

"Oh, wow, thanks…really helpful…" Jaune bemoaned. "I'm Jaune by the way."

"Pyrrha Nikos," the girl greeted him. "I'm sorry…by the way if I was being rude."

"You weren't," Jaune admits as he rubbed the back of his head, "um…thanks by the way."

"For?" Pyrrha looked confused.

"Oh, nothing really, just talking to me. No, seriously, I do appreciate it a lot. However, I could've sworn I seen you from somewhere before." Jaune admits as he talks to Pyrrha, "did you live in Mistral City?"

"Oh yeah I…" Pyrrha was about to start only for Weiss to run back over toward them.

"She is thee Pyrrha Nikos, you dolt!" Naruto turned around to see Wiess Schnee of all people, his eyes widened before he ducked behind a locker to hide from her.

"Um, hi, nice to meet you?" The green-eyed spartan girl waved nervously as she greeted Weiss.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to The Schnee Dust Company, and you're just as beautiful as they portray you." Weiss compliments, but then smirked, _'butter them up, and surely the results say enough for themselves.'_

 _'_ _With Pyrrha Nikos as my partner the whole school won't be able to stop us, it is the perfect plan, indeed the truly perfect plan!'_ Weiss snickered evilly while holding out her hand, where Pyrrha than tentatively took it and shook it with nervousness.

"Um, hi, I'm sorry…I said hi twice…" she just sighed, "you want an autograph?"

"Sure, buddy!" Weiss forced out with a fake smile, holding out a small booklet.

Pyrrha looked at the booklet, it was full of famous people's signatures, probably worth a small fortune on its own. She just sighs, signing the booklet before watching Weiss walk toward the door toward the staging area.

She turned around, fake friendliness and all, "see you out there!"

The blonde haired teen that was standing by Pyrrha sighed, "she's quite friendly, right?"

"Um, Jaune, I think she was being sarcastic." Pyrrha points out.

The teen just shrugged, "maybe, well…um…better get to this, can't be too bad right?"

"Hopefully not," Pyrrha and Jaune walked toward the door, "besides just be quick."

Standing in the room, Naruto watched as the others got out of the door, he was standing behind the lockers still. Nervous, he felt his heart pounding in his chest as he looked at the clear image on the floor of himself.

 _"Hope no one ends up with him."  
"Yeah, all he did in class was sleep, how the hell did he get here?"  
"Dead meat walking."_

 _"You should just walk away,"_ Naruto heard the darkness speak to him, _"what does it matter? You get on a team, and because you simply couldn't stay awake another three hours in a day, you're now an outcast."_

 _"I mean, seriously, what's the point of being here? You think you'll ever get one of them to be your friends, with rumors about you being just a lazy bum and sleeper, hahaha, it'll never ever happen."_ The darkness continued to speak.

It then cackled, _"then again you could just let me out, like before."_

"I can't," Naruto spoke aloud as he took a deep breath, "I won't…not again…"

Gathering his nerves, he walked toward the door.

* * *

Emerald Forest was beautiful, an iconic landmark inside Vale. A deadly landmark as well, though it wasn't a big Black-Zone like The Great Sea of Sand in Vacuo, or Menagerie's Eternal Desert. Emerald Forest was nothing to shake a stick at, no Grimm was, because all Grimm had a potential to kill you.

If Ozpin himself got careless one day, a mere Lancer Wasp could stab him in the eye and it'd be done with.

That's the realistic world, that's the world Huntsmen and Huntswomen trained and grew up in.

Very little room for error!

"Welcome everyone, at last, we can finally begin the trial. Here in Emerald Forest is a temple, broken as it is, in the ruins, you'll find relics. These relics are to be gathered by you and your partner, which will be the first person you see once you land!"

Everyone gasped, even Naruto just clenched his eyes, _"damn it…don't be anyone from Signal."_

"Um, sir, you said land?" Jaune suddenly inquires.

Ozpin chuckled, "why yes I did Mr. Arc, is there a problem?"

Suddenly a launcher sent a student toward the forest, they weren't really ready, but then another was launched and another. Jaune's eyes filled with fear as he saw Pyrrha getting launched, with her flying upward and high.

"Well, do we at least get parachutes?!" Jaune manically questions as the student by him.

"Of course," Jaune's hope-filled face was then replaced by horror as he was launched, and Ozpin smirked as he finished what he was about to say, "not."

Cardin was launched next, followed Russel, and another couple of teens.

Naruto took a deep breath as his turn came, he was sent upward more than forward, he felt the wind brush over him as he took flight.

 _"birdy no!"_ He heard a familiar childish scream call out.

Naruto quickly transformed Red Flower into its bow form, he looked around on the ground making sure he wasn't about to land in the middle of a Beowolf horde. Taking a moment to flip forward a few times to gain some distance, he widened himself out in the air as he saw the ground coming up.

He then angled himself to where he was pointing fully downward before launching a charged arrow with wind dust in it from the crystal and shooting the ground just as he was about to land. The blowback was enough to bounce Naruto up a little and allowed him to angle himself enough to kick get upright as he came across a Beowolf.

The Grimm looked toward him, and its eyes widened for that one moment as Naruto sent both of his feet into it, knocking it to the ground where he then used it to slide a stop. It growled out its displeasure, looking up Naruto, ready to take a bite out of his foot for the pain it felt.

However, the blonde merely looked down and shot an aura into its head, blowing it clean off.

He heard growling as he turned around to see another Beowolf charging at him, transforming Red Flower into sword mode, Naruto spun on his foot and removed the blade just in time to slice the monster's head clean off.

The chokuto brilliantly reflected the orange aura Naruto had shining around him, the blonde's now red eyes reflecting a sort of combat mode as he held the scabbard, hardening it with aura as he ran toward a clearing.

Sprinting with purpose, Naruto parkoured over a small clearing by jumping up and kicking off a tree that grew on the edge of the clearing and using the momentum to run up the small wall of rock. Just in time to jump up and land upon a tree. Observing a clearing just in front of him, he knew that Ozpin would launch students in the general direction of the temple.

It wasn't rocket science to figure out where the temple would be!

Taking a second to scout the area, Naruto took a deep breath as he sheathed his blade into the scabbard before switching it back into bow mode. Walking in the trees, going through the branches, remaining hidden. He scanned the area with his eyes, they were slowly turning back into their normal oceanic blue, indicating that he was becoming a little calm.

Though if one looked close enough a tinge of red could be seen in the outer iris.

 _"No sense in just charging in like a dumb ass,"_ Naruto parkoured slowly through the trees overlooking the entire clearing, taking a longer but more stealthy approach.

Stopping, he felt like something was near him, so he reached behind him and grabbed his hidden knife just in case it was too close to safely rely on his bow. Turning around the bark of a giant oak he was currently walking amongst the branches of he found the thing that was close to him.

A Wendigo.

A Wendigo was a type of tall, very agile Grimm, it was lanky in appearance. Deer horns on the head of it were offsetting from the truly ferocious beast these bastards could be. Horror stories were written about them, worst still, they traveled in pairs.

If Naruto saw one, the other one wasn't too far behind!

Standing at over several feet taller than himself, Naruto decided to jump up and grab it by its neck before plunging his knife deep into the base of its upper spine. Simply, the beast only could grunt before falling forward and dispersing into black smoke.

However, Naruto's eyes widened as he turned around and got caught by surprise when its partner leaped from above him. He didn't have time to react as he felt himself get kicked away from the tree and into the clearing.

His weapon landing a good eight meters away from him due to the force!

His knife landed in a shorter distance, about three meters.

The Wendigo landed in between him and Red Flower, roaring out as it grew its claws. The blonde in front of it just stood up defiant to give it an inkling of fear. Both stared into each other, it was kill or be killed.

Slowly, but surely both circled each other once. It was trying to scare him, but it didn't know that Naruto only had one fear.

The only thing Naruto Namikaze feared was himself!

His eyes started to glow red, Naruto dropped down into a fighting stance, "bring it."

It was clockwork, no sooner than the words left Naruto's mouth the beast charged forward, roaring. He leaned back as it swiped at him, moving back by sliding his feet backward. He kept them planted on the ground as he pushed forward and managed to get in a jab into the monster's face.

The Wendigo howled, slashing at Naruto, which barely missed his fox ears which were standing straight up in order to detect any other movement around him. Flipping backwards Naruto uses his momentum to somersault off his hands, but as a consequence landed further away from either of his weapons.

Dropping back down into the fighting stance Naruto spat onto the ground next to him. They both charged at each other, with Naruto swiftly sidestepping the slashes, spinning on his heel while leaning back and driving his elbow into its face. The Fox Faunus then followed the elbow strike with two punches right into its jawline.

Red and black teeth splattered against his aura enhanced knuckles. The blonde leapt up and drove his knee into its face.

It stumbled back from the impact. Naruto sprints forward and leaps up before delivering a devastating haymaker to the Grimm's face. It screamed out in pain as Naruto landed and rolled under its legs in order to grab his knife. Turning around in time, Naruto sliced upward and cut the lanky arm off the Grimm.

Slicing a finger off its remaining claw when it tried to attack him with it. Naruto blocked and dodged while reverse gripping his knife, stabbing and slashing when he got a chance. The Grimm roars out, slamming its forearm into the ground when Naruto dodges for the umpteenth time.

He took this opportunity to stab the beast's claw into the ground!

Running fast, Naruto leaps toward Red Flower and grabbed it just in time bring it up in order to defend against the beast's claw. The resounding clang of metal and bone echoed in the clearing, with Naruto stepping forward, pushing against the attacks while forcing the beast back with his own.

Naruto then punched the beast in the face with his free before grabbing his knife out of its clawed hand before leaping away. Placing his sword back into its scabbard, he held the knife in his hand.

One deep breath later, Naruto suddenly rolled to the side while placing his hidden knife back into its holster. Removing the sword from its scabbard, Naruto roars as the wind dust in it activates. The beast screams at him, its roared made his fox ears ring slightly.

However, Naruto roars back at it defiantly before charging it. Gripping his chokuto with both hands, Naruto and The Wendigo locked eyes as they both launched attacks on one another. However, Naruto moved just in time to avoid getting hit while he sword bisects the beast.

Disappearing in a black mist, Naruto stood there, breathing hard.

He then stood up, holding his sword out from himself. Reverse gripping the blade he then slammed the sword the back into his scabbard. Dusting himself off as he started walking toward the forest.

Looking for the temple.

* * *

Cardin caved a Beowolf's head in as he walked besides Russel, the teen walked behind his friend. They had landed almost exactly together, currently looking for two other teens they had met in Beacon.

Sky Lark and Dove Bronzewing.

"Can't fucking believe it," Russel exclaimed. "Foxy didn't go splat."

"I know, right?" Cardin acknowledges as he stumped on a large beetle, "eww…"

"That's gotta suck man," Russel pointed out only to stop when he felt something drip on his shoulder. "Um, Cardin…is it raining?"

"No…why?" Cardin asks.

They both look at each other, then slowly they turned their head upward. They saw spiderlike Grimm, chittering its teeth. Both swallowed hard, slowly, but surely, they began to walk back. The Grimm lunges itself at the teens, only for another suddenly leap out of the forest canopy and smash his sword into its thorax.

Roaring as he did, firing several rounds off from the gun part of his sword. The teen raised his sword up, slashing and cutting away with at the spider, using strength to slay the beast. Smashing the sword into its brain, the beast stopped moving.

"Holy hell!" the teen that killed the spider screamed out, "whew…"

"Dove!" Cardin yells, "damn good time buddy!"

"Don't mention it, c'mon, we gotta move!" Dove yells to them as he got up.

* * *

Ozpin looked at the cameras from his data-pad, he sipped his hot cocoa with a smile as he saw other teams make their grabs and go. He then came to see Ruby and Weiss arguing, Yang and Blake getting along well. Jaune getting helped by Pyrrha, while Ren and Nora displayed impressive and a very well-coordinated unorthodox team strategy of her riding an Ursa.

An interesting year indeed.

He then turned his attention to the camera that was on Naruto as the blonde walked out of the clearing, he took note of the score by the blonde's picture. He had killed several Grimm since dropping, and Ozpin hummed at noticing that the two most recent kills were Wendigo Grimm.

Not a bad feat but judging by how the blonde's aura fell into the mid yellow, he had been caught unaware.

 _'_ _Do not beat yourself up over an error, just correct it if you live and move forward, young man.'_ Ozpin then sipped his hot cocoa some more, "Ms. Glynda what are the pairs so far?"

"Yang Xiao-Long and Blake Belladonna, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, Cardin Winchester and Russel Thrush, Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos. So far unpartnered students seem to be nearing each other." Glynda pushed her glasses up, sighing, "there is heavy Grimm activity near the temple."

Ozpin hummed, "then we'll get a show, come now let us get more cocoa before we catch a cold."

"Totes as the children say today," Glynda chuckled out as she walked away with Ozpin, watching her data-pad.

* * *

Naruto breathed hard as he came around a corner near an abandoned old shack, only to have a mace and a couple daggers pointed at him. He slid on his knees to avoid their swings, getting his sword ready until he noticed that it was just the two clowns from the locker rooms this morning.

Sheathing his sword into the scabbard he had in one hand, Naruto got up and took a moment to look at them.

He just sighed, "go ahead, you two are paired up anyway and going the wrong way."

"Says the guy that always slept in class, you Faunus nocturnal or something?" Russel inquired as he looked at Naruto, slightly mocking the blonde.

The teen just rolled his eyes, "that's the most damage you could do? Shit, you're going to die here if you two don't get serious yourselves."

Cardin growled, "what do you say, bastard?!"

"All I said was, if you don't get proactive in killing Grimm before they surround you, you'll die. Now, come with me, I have to go to the temple anyway to get my piece. Partner, no partner, I don't care…I came too far to fail just because of a pair of idiots going to the wrong way." Naruto states with venom in his voice.

As he walked by, he just shoulder checks, Cardin, glaring at him, taking to heart what they said about him in the locker room earlier and just now.

"Yo, Card, Russel, and…aww…fuck." Naruto's fox ears perked up, he turned around to see a teen with light brown hair and dark blue eyes.

Dove Bronzewing, standing there with his sword, just looked at Naruto and slapped his face. "Just my damn luck, the sleeper's a Faunus as well."

"Anyone see Sky?" Cardin inquired.

Naruto shrugged, "don't know who that is."

"Yeah because you slept all day, now I'm stuck with your ass, this day has just been the worse!" Dove yelled as he flung his arms up.

The blonde crossed his arms, "as long as your sword can back up your mouth, I think you and I don't have to get along."

"Yeah, like you could be any good, always sleeping and shit," Russel spoke against Naruto.

A sudden rumble broke their argument, Naruto just took a moment to listen with his fox ears, "something big…very big."

It was getting closer, he could hear a roar and rattles of chains. He heard the stumping, then all of a sudden…it just stops. Everyone looked at one another, everyone took a deep breath, with Dove eyeing the shack with Naruto.

Russel whimpers a little bit, "well…is it gone?"

Suddenly the shack was ripped apart by a giant Beringel, it roars out as chains dangled from its wrists. It had armor all over its body, beating its chest, the massive ape Grimm then focused on all four teens. The blue-eyed gang of boys just took a step back.

Cardin gulped, "holy crap…"

Russel gasps, "I think I shit myself."

The Fox Faunus just growled, reaching for his sword, "whose got range?"

All of them turned to him, Sky raised his hand up, "got a plan?"

Naruto nodded, he then suddenly turned around, "run!"

Everyone quickly followed the Fox Faunus as they saw him disappear into the trees, suddenly they saw him land in front of them. He had his bow out and ready, he shot a charged shot with wind dust into the face of the Giant Beringel, making it roar out in pain.

It was stunned enough to stop as they continued running, Dove aimed his Gun-Sword at the beast they ran, peppering it with small arms fire as they sprinted out of the forest. They saw evidence of a large battle, where they could see that a tower was being demolished in a fight with a giant Nevermore.

Cardin growled, "we need to get to the temple!"

"I know that," Russel yells, "we'll get two pairs of relics!"

"What?!" Cardin screamed as they broke off from Dove and Naruto.

Russel laughs as he got to the pedestals, picking up a white and black knight chess piece, "ding-ding-ding!"

* * *

Naruto hopped up as the massive beast slung it chains at him, Dove did the same thing, still peppering it with rounds, reloading whenever he got a chance. The blonde running by him broke off before jumping into a tree.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto overdraws his bow to its maximum while charging a Lance Shot, _'steady…steady…'_

The wind swirled around the arrow as it formed, Naruto focused hard, his eyes widened when he found a sweet spot in the armor. A kink on the neck, he fires the arrow, creating a boom when he did. Dove heard the massive whistle of the attack, watching as it blasted the entire front of the beast's armor off.

Dove nodded at the tree, he got his sword ready before roaring out and using his super strength semblance to slice off a hand of the beast. It screamed out in agony as Cardin and Russel ran past him, the teen then turned back toward the tree and motioned where they were going with his head.

Naruto dropped out of the tree, rolling forward while firing several arrows of aura into the beast's facial armor, knocking it off. He ran full sprint toward the bridge, watching at the makeshift team he had been a part of making it across first.

His senses suddenly went wild as the Giant Beringel leaped toward him, smashing the bridge further apart. Naruto grabbed a dust crystal from his pocket, Burn Dust, and formed an arrow around it while charging it from the wind crystal that applied in his weapon.

He leaps forward, going over the gap as he turned around, "get of my way you damned dirty ape!"

The arrow flew, hitting home as it blew off the beast's head, however, Naruto's eyes widened as he felt nothing but air at his back. He turned around, seeing that the area he had jumped to collapsing due to the blast from his arrow.

He expected someone to grab him, but as he felt nothing the blonde eyes slightly watered. He looked over at the makeshift team as they were busy making themselves were okay. Time seem to slow to a crawl for Naruto.

 _'_ _All that work, Naruto, and now you get to fail…because no one is going to help you.'_ Naruto scrunched his face up, only to suddenly feel something wrap around him and sling him back toward the more stable part of the bridge.

He slammed into the ground, getting up and breathing hard, "who?"

Turning around he found Blake there!

"Holy crap that was amazing Blake, you got him just in time!" Yang praises her newfound partner.

The girl just smiled, "it was nothing, too easy, actually."

Cardin and Russel, however, were just handing their second piece to Dove, who looked at it with pride. They had moved away from the bridge, unaware that it could collapse further and thus left Naruto hanging.

The blonde just took a glance at them, _'at the end of the day, they left me to die…huh…guess that jerk with the sword will be my partner…better make a note to always keep a spare explosive knife with me.'_

Naruto got up from the ground, dusting himself off, he watched as the bridge fully collapsed.

He had passed!


	8. Episode Eight: CRDN

Naruto was standing in the auditorium by Ozpin, and regrettably his future team, he looked toward them before looking away. It was noticeable that he stayed an extra few feet away from anyone else, despite them standing close together.

They probably thought he could've made that jump, but then when he didn't, he didn't exactly see them rush to his aid either. So, Naruto owed a certain bow wearing girl a favor, and he'd repay on that later on.

Sighing, Ozpin then announces their team, "Beacon officially recognizes these students as Proven. Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Naruto Namikaze. You four showed grit, getting through the trial, so I recognize you as Team Cardinal, C.R.D.N, led by Cardin Winchester."

Naruto kept it hidden, but he felt himself wince slightly, he took a deep breath as he looked up at the crowd. It didn't matter, he was in, that's all that mattered. Plus, he was almost done with his latest painting, so he'd have some spending money.

He could try to make the best of a bad situation.

Walking away from the stage, Naruto passed the other students as they were called up. Standing toward the back of the room, the blonde then felt his arm tapped, he looked over to see a woman standing there, she had tanned skin and peach colored hair.

"Mr. Namikaze?" She whispered her question.

Naruto acknowledges her, "yes mam?"

"I need you to follow me to Ozpin's office, he'll be meeting with us shortly, just be calm you're in no trouble understand?" The woman inquires.

He sighed, nodding as he followed her out of the auditorium and into the halls. They walked for a few moments in silence, until she finally broke the silence with an upbeat chirp to her voice.

"So, congratulations Mr. Namikaze, I am your shrink for the time you'll be here." She held out her hand, "Professor Abigail Celica Peach."

"Um, Naruto Namikaze." Naruto took her hand and shook it.

They turned a corner, going toward an elevator, she opened it with her scroll. Entering it, both of them felt the cool air in the elevator as the doors closed and the AC kicked on. Ozpin must like the cold because it wasn't exactly warm outside in the now stormy weather, but all in all it wasn't too bad.

* * *

The ding sounded, with them exiting out of the elevator and into the office, taking a look around the office Naruto could tell that Ozpin had been busy. Very busy, if the stack of papers was anything to go by, he walked over toward a chair and took a seat.

She took a seat by him, looking at the boy's eyes, "so I've been down to the storage area…you're very talented."

"I paint when I'm stressed, and it helps me make money," Naruto tells her as he relaxed in the chair, placing Red Flower on the ground.

Peach got out a notepad, "mind if I make some notes?"

"Sure, I guess," Naruto replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

The woman smiled, jotting down something, "I see you got placed on a team. Tell me, exactly in one word, what do you feel about that?"

"One word, okay, um…trepidation, in all honesty, …I…" Naruto took a deep breath, "would like to be on someone else's team."

"I see," she wrote on the notepad as she looked into his eyes, "you're also upset that you got dealt a bad hand once again?"

"Kind of, I mean if Luck was ranked, I would be an E-rank." Naruto tried to jokingly point out.

 _"Crybaby, why don't you just shut up, you're embarrassing yourself…"_ the whisper of the darkness sounded in his head.

Peach took a deep breath, "well, unfortunately, we cannot bend rules for anyone, perhaps you can change someone's outlook?"

"How," Naruto bitterly said as he looked up at her, "I can't even fix myself."

She jotted something down in her note, "so you see yourself as broken?"

"No," Naruto lowered his head, _"yes…who am I kidding."_

The woman just jotted something else down, "you don't have to worry about me judging you, I've dealt with students that were suicidal before, it's a battle."

"What would you know?" Naruto questioned, shifting in his seat.

The woman chuckled, holding out her left hand, turning it around to expose her wrist. "My family disowned me when they found I was a lesbian, and I tried to end the pain, but the pain doesn't stop because you stop it in yourself…it just moves on to someone else."

"I…I…didn't mean…" Naruto sighs as he looked at the ceiling, _'so stupid.'_

She chuckles a little, bumping his knee with her fist, "don't worry about offending me. Trust me, I've been called every name in the book, some people like to call me "Psycho-Bitch" when I am not looking."

"People think I'm some kind of lazy because I slept in school, but I always studied and did book work, I usually record a teacher's voice on my scroll and listen to the lesson while I worked on my paintings. I, well, I just didn't want to be with anyone from Signal." Naruto admits as he leaned back in the chair.

He noted a ring on Peach's finger, "are you…married?"

"Mmhmm, been married to my partner for the last six years, Alabastra Blackwood, we agreed to keep our surnames simply because courts work slowly for gay couples in Atlas. I'm from Atlas, so, I can tell you that I understand that your history is befuddled a little." She then gently took his right hand, flipping over his wrist, humming.

She then looked at him, "that Beowolf had some pretty sharp teeth, didn't it?"

The blonde frowned, "yeah, it did."

"Are you suicidal right now, do you have thoughts today?" She inquired as she removed her hand from his.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto shook his head, "I'm not suicidal, but I do have thoughts."

"I guess that's par for the course," she jotted in her notebook, "tell me though are you capable of working with others?"

Naruto looked at her, taking a deep breath.

* * *

 _"Ilia, wait up, c'mon I am dying here!" Naruto complained as he ran around the track for the twentieth time._

 _He saw her slow down, "you've got to get a little faster, Ru-Ru."_

 _"Hey!" Naruto complains as he ran beside her._

 _She giggled a little, "don't call me Tola then."_

 _"Pfft," Naruto rolled his eyes as he hopped over an obstacle, "not a chance, Tola!"_

 _"Okay then Ru-Ru, you got this though, besides tomorrow night is dance night. There's a foxy little lady I had my eye on, and there's this girl that seems to be interested in you." Ilia spoke as she hopped over her own obstacle._

 _Parkour training was difficult, but a worthwhile exercise to burn calories, and Naruto needed it due to the amount of ramen he ate over the course of the weekend. Practicing painting, he managed to land one of his first deals, a few hundred liens._

 _Naruto runs along a wall with Ilia as they came to the wall-run, they jumped between walls, crisscrossing each other. The blonde fox Faunus grabbed on top a flagpole and swung forward from it before landing and rolling on the ground._

 _He managed to get on his feet straight away, running ahead of Ilia now, "hey, not fair! Thought you said you were dying!"_

 _The blonde laughed, "guess you gotta be faster sis!"_

 _Ilia smiled, "pot calling the kettle black much, Ru-Ru!"_

 _They stopped as they crossed the start of the course again for the umpteenth time, stopping, Naruto gripped his knees as he took deep gasps for air, so did Ilia._

 _Looking at each other, Naruto chuckled, "you know I'm not going to dance…right?"_

 _"I know, I know, don't like dancing with partners you don't know. You know, I could dance with you one time, but don't get any funny ideas, mister." She jokes while winking at him, "then again Neon…"_

 _"Neon," Naruto interrupted Ilia, "now I'm definitely not going hahaha."_

 _Ilia chuckled, "got something against our little puss in skates?"_

 _"No," Naruto walked over and grabbed two water bottles, tossing one to Ilia, "she keeps trying to sleep with me."_

 _The girl looked at him, "maybe you should give in, I mean c'mon we're sixteen and were training to go off and probably die somewhere."_

 _Naruto sighed, "I don't believe in sex without feeling, feels like you're just using someone."_

 _Ilia nodded, "true, you kind of are, but they also do the same thing."_

 _The blonde fox just gobbled the water down, finishing the bottle quickly, he then turned to Ilia and smiled._

 _"You're my best friend ya know, so, understand that I am not interested in casual stuff." Naruto told her as he looked at the course, "want to go on one more run?"_

 _"Winner buys lunch." Ilia took off._

 _Naruto gasped, dropping the water bottle, "no fair!"_

* * *

"I mean I could if needed too, but I haven't had friends since Atlas." Naruto spoke with honesty and then sighed, "I don't think I can make friends with the group I'm in."

"You're not here to always find friends," Naruto and Peach turned around to see Ozpin, "you're expected to form bonds."

She then looked at him, "but what makes you think you can't be friends with your team?"

"I just bring bad luck," Naruto sighed. "I mean the last true friend I had…her whole family died. Before that, another boy, Sasuke…he and I lived in the same foster family for two years until I was able to escape."

"We got separated," the blonde took a deep breath. "He ended up leading a pack of Beowolfs away from me…so I assume…well its not hard…"

Peach's eyes widened a little bit, "wow…that's…"

"I then lived on the streets of Atlas for about a year until I got into the prep academy, and another friend, Anderson. He was the oldest of our little teen runaway gang, and he…" Naruto took a deep breath.

Naruto looks at her, "he got shot after getting into an argument with an older woman."

"That's a shame," Peach said. "However, that isn't your fault."

"I know…" Naruto admitted. "But it still hurts, it'll always hurt."

"I can understand that," she jots down in her notes, "but you need accept that the past is set in stone and only can move forward from here."

Naruto nodded, "but what if they don't want that, I mean they seem to hate me because I'm simply Faunus."

The door opens revealing Ozpin, "have you brought him, or did he come here himself?"

"I brought him," Peach told Ozpin, "simply because I believe I needed to tell him about myself where we couldn't be interrupted."

She then turns to Naruto, "know what you do when it comes to them?"

He shrugged.

"Then you roll with the punches they give you, they're bullies Mr. Namikaze, you must take measures to make sure that they understand your boundaries." Ozpin sat at his desk as he spoke to Naruto, "don't think that I made Cardin team leader as a reward for him."

Ozpin took a sip of his cocoa, "I'm going to talk to him after we're done here, but don't worry he'll be none the wiser of our talk here…Peach?"

Peach looked at Ozpin, "he seems in good spirits, just concerned with the team placement."

The headmaster looked at Naruto, taking a deep breath, "if you want Naruto…I can bend the rules just this one time…this one single time."

"No!" Naruto suddenly declared, looking at the headmaster's eyes.

He took a moment to gather himself, "I don't want to be given anything, if you bend the rules for me then everyone will just have ammo to come after me…bad enough they think I'm some loser!"

"So," Ozpin leaned forward, "are you going to give your best on that team?"

"I'll try, but I can't make a mountain fall with a gust of wind," Naruto states as he leaned down and picked up Red Flower.

He took a deep breath, "we done here?"

"Yes." Ozpin motions for Peach to walk with Naruto toward the elevator, "please have a good rest."

* * *

Blasting his scroll loudly in his ears, using his fox ears to listen, Naruto walked toward the dorm room he'd be sharing with people he didn't like and didn't like him. Opening it up, he saw that the room was a mess, people arguing about bed placement and clothes being flung everywhere.

 _'_ _Oh God, this is my life now…'_ Naruto groans mentally as he walked inside, closing the door.

"Bitch, I said we do bunk beds!" Russel yells at Dove.

Dove shouted back, "well I think that's frigging retarded!"

"Why is it retarded, I mean good God, we need to come up with something since we've got class tomorrow!" Russel retorts back with rage-filled in his voice.

The rusty-haired team lead was pinching his nose, he then noticed Naruto, "bout time you got here."

"Look," Naruto placed his gym bag down, "I got an idea."

The team lead looked at him, "if it'll make them shut up, I'm game."

"Not exactly bunk beds, but you can do like a wall, I mean the beds are like a twin size right, got any paper?" Naruto inquired as he looked at Cardin.

The teen rolled his eyes, reaching over and grabbed some pieces of paper and a single pencil. He watched as Naruto dodged a bag getting thrown. It was from Dove, but it wasn't thrown at him so much as it had been thrown at Russel and Dove just missed wildly.

Naruto used his artist's eye to strip the room, moving pieces around in his mind, he began to draw out a grid while walking wall to wall. He stopped, looking at the single large dresser. Knowing them, they probably didn't want a large open room anyway.

Then again, more than likely, Naruto himself wouldn't be staying much in this room anyhow.

Taking a nibble out the eraser's head, he then finished his sketch, turning toward Cardin and walking back over toward him. The team lead was expecting some poorly drawn sketch, but he got the complete opposite as he was handed a very detailed sketch.

Humming, Cardin was honestly impressed, "not bad…for a Faunus."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "are we going to do this or what?"

The teen then whistled loudly, making Naruto wince slightly, the other two stopped fighting and turned to Cardin. They looked at their new team lead, recently ordained so, and crossed their arms as they took notice of the blonde by him.

Cardin then walked toward them, "look here, know that we don't get to like him. But, this is a solid build, I think we should do it."

Russel took a look at the sketch, "so according to this the dresser goes by the door, and the beds get positioned against the walls of the room.

"Two near the window, headboard pushing back against each other, the other two going by the bathroom door and far wall," Dove says as he looked at the sketch.

Humming, Russel looked up at Cardin and Dove, "I think we can go with this boys."

"Cool, um, should we get started now?" Naruto inquires as he looked at the area around them.

* * *

Yang lifted one of the bunks by herself, "Blake slide the bottom one over here, quickly!"

Blake slid the bottom bed over toward Yang, who carefully placed the bed down on the headboard and footboard. Giving an audible sigh, they look at each other with a smile. Quickly the hazel eyed girl got few old books, and some superglue.

"Alright, I'm going to make some pillars for them using old books that I don't read anymore. Yang, you're going to hold each end up after I apply the glue on the top and bottom!" Blake tells the blonde, "give me a few minutes to make the pillars."

"You're going to balance it out with the headboard?" Yang inquires.

Blake shrugs, "kind of sort of, eyeballing it here."

"True, I eyeball a lot of things," Yang spoke slyly as she winked at a boy passing by their room.

Her partner just chuckles, "you're a bit of a flirt, aren't you?"

"What, I am offended by that notion there, I am only a tease." Yang declares to Blake, laughing as she did.

The hazel eyed girl chuckles, "you know Yang, you're a strong young woman. So, tell me, is it awesome that we're a team of all women?"

"Yeah!" Ruby declares with youthful joy, "who needs guys anyway, girl power all the way!"

Yang rolls her eyes, "oh my poor baby sis will get smacked with the love bug eventually."

"Pfft," Ruby replied. "As if, boys are just gross, I mean they pick their noses and scratch their butts all the time."

"And you don't?" Yang eyes Ruby while smirking.

The girl, flustered, just mumbles. "At least…I have…a reason."

Weiss groans, "Ruby will you just hurry up and help me with our bunk?"

"Okay, okay, coming." Ruby answers back as she gets to helping Weiss lift the bed up.

Weiss looked at Ruby, "could you please just hold your side up!"

"I'm trying, you're making the weight uneven because your shorter than me!" Ruby yells as she struggled with the majority of the weight.

Weiss growls, "whatever…oh crap my hand slipped!"

"Wh-ah?!" Ruby screamed as the bed fell on her, making her fall to the ground.

She groans, rubbing her head, "ow…really Weiss, couldn't hold it for just five more seconds?"

The heiress just rolls her eyes, "come on dolt, let's try this again."

* * *

An hour of moving stuff around, putting clothes up, and cussing passes. They managed to get the room arranged the way they wanted it. A couple desks in the middle so they could have study time for tests, the full bathroom was cleaned.

The bed nearest to it was unoccupied because the "team" had decided that Naruto was the lucky one to get the one nearest to the bathroom.

Naruto was currently laying in the bed relaxing as the sun was setting outside of the window, he was reading a novella that he picked up in the library while the team finished up the room. He probably should've stayed to claim a proper bed, but he didn't want to get too bored.

"So, Dove, where you from?" Cardin inquired.

"I'm from Mistral," Dove said as he leaned on his bed, "you guys?"

"Signal, Patch," Cardin stated along with Russel.

"Oi, fox, where you from?" Dove questioned Naruto as he saw the teen reading.

Naruto looked up toward them, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Shoot," Cardin motioned and looked at him, "we'll only call out on it if it is bullshit."

The blonde sighed, "I was born in Menagerie."

"Shocker," Russel rolled his eyes, "that's a Faunus country."

"I was raised in Vacuo, I moved to Atlas, and then I came here…I've never been to Mistral. I," Naruto sighed, "got around."

"Okay first off, we now know how you got in, Richie Rich," Cardin laughs with his friends.

The blonde just rolled his eyes as he leaned up, "I'm going to go for a walk, don't wait up."

"Hey man, be it as it may, don't be coming back late and waking us up!" Russel yelled out as Naruto walked out of the door.

The group laughed, Dove took a drink of canned soda he got out of the machine, "this guy is a rich loser to have moved around the world so much."

The leader just shook his head, stifling laughter, "yeah man, no wonder he got through Signal."

"Taiyang is a frigging punk and for a teacher anyway, along with his buddy Qrow, probably took money to pass our teammate. Crap man, why'd we end up with him, we're going to have a straggler academically. I mean, don't get me wrong, he can fight like a beast." Russel states as he took a drink of his soda.

Cardin rolled his eyes, "please, it's possible the kid's a bastard to him. I mean, Mr. Xiao-Long got around. You know Ruby and Yang from school right, two different mothers."

"Get the fuck out, really?" Dove gasps while laughing, "damn, Xiao-Long sounds about right."

"His daughter, well the oldest one, is smoking hot. I mean, on a scale of one to ten, she's a damn eleven!" Cardin states, "but she's an uber bitch when it comes to her hair and sister."

Chuckling, Dove just rubbed the back of his head, "if I could get a night with this girl…woo."

"Yeah man," Cardin agreed as had "thoughts" fill his mind. "I'd make her not want any other guy."

"Who knows," Dove shrugs, "she's probably easy."

"Eh, well she's an uber bitch. She can punch like a goddamn freight train," Cardin winced as spoke. "I remember a guy trying to grab her ass in Signal and she just drove him into a wall."

"No shit?" Dove incredulously asks Cardin.

"No shit," Cardin answered and felt his stomach growling.

The boys laughed together, with Cardin getting up, "let's go get some chow guys."

* * *

Blake looked at her and Yang's finished work, "not bad Yang, not bad at all."

"I think its frigging perfect," Yang praised. "I mean, I got the bottom bunk obviously because I put in the effort."

"Don't you like top?" Blake quipped a little.

"Only when mama is in charge~" Yang sang out as she dove and landed on the bottom bunk.

"Eww…" Ruby blurts out in disgust at her sister antics.

The Schnee Heiress just rolled her eyes, "can't believe they let you in here…I mean first the bed falls on you and then it falls on me."

"Well to be fair Weiss," the youngest of the team replied. "you couldn't lift it above your head."

"Whatever," Weiss retorted before getting on the bottom bunk. "I'm taking a nap."

"Well before you do, real talk really quick, just calm down. I mean, yeah, my little sis can be crazy sometimes, but she's really good." Yang points out and smiled, "never judge a book by its cover."

The Schnee turned over, glaring right at Yang, "oh Xiao-Long you never judged a book by its cover?"

"Nope," Yang answered confidently. "I call it as I see it."

The Heiress just rolls her eyes, "yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

"No, really, I don't judge people by their cover. I mean, yeah, you're being a spoiled brat but I think there is a good person under that. Blake here seems cool, and she had some very _good_ reading material. Of course, though," Yang rubs the back of her head as talked to Weiss. "I can't really misjudge my own sister."

"So, you never ever misjudged someone?" Weiss questioned Yang.

"Not that I can recall, I mean we just went over this. I can tell that those boys down the hall, the ones name Cardin and Russel aren't good characters. I can tell the other, that Dove guy, is probably just as bad. But I guess it kind of limits itself out in the end because they got lazybones Namikaze." Yang answered Weiss.

Blake interjected right then and there, "can't believe I'm saying this, but Naruto put in the work it seems. Like I said, just because you don't see it doesn't mean its so."

"True," Yang agreed a little. "He did hold his own against that giant Beringel, what even was that thing?"

Weiss groans, "it's called a Kong, an evolved Beringel."

"Ooh, like the giant monkey from that one game? What was it…um…" Ruby struggles for a moment before a light goes off, "Super Plumber Bros."

"Yeah, that's the one Ruby." Yang agrees before yawning, "wanna come help me work on a project tonight?"

"What project?" Ruby asked only to get a look by Yang, "ooh… _that_ project."

"I'm curious, new teammates, what is this project?" Blake inquires as she stretched on the top bunk.

"None of your beeswax," Yang winked at Ruby who chuckles. "So, buzz off."

"Yeah, um, bzzzt you need a secret code." Ruby made a buzzing noise, trying to pun.

Yang sighs, pinching her nose, "one day sis…you'll be just like me."

"A bad butt?" the silver eyed girl tried to fill in the blanks, "oh I know…not crater face?"

"No, Ruby, a Yang-tastic pun connoisseur." The lilac eyed girl tells her sister.

Weiss just groans, "just take a nap…jeez…"

* * *

Naruto was in the storage units, he was listening to his scroll on speaker mode as he finished up his painting, taking a moment to look at it, he got his scroll and took a picture of it. Sending it to Mrs. Mirabella so she could appraise it offhandedly until he could secure a way to send it to her.

Walking out of the storage unit, Naruto took of the painting apron he had on and tosses it inside, yawning as he checked the time. It was nearly three in the morning, he wanted to make sure that he at least got a couple hours to nap.

Overall, it wasn't so bad, not the worst he's been in. Taking a moment to lean against the door, he debated on just leaning against it and sleeping here. However, suddenly, he heard a loud roar. His eyes widened she went for his hidden knife, walking toward where the roaring was coming from.

He heard coughing, he peered inside a storage container to find Yang. The girl was working with her torque wrench, she seemed to be by herself. Suddenly her hand slips and smashes right into the bike. Without readying herself, without a glove, her hand gotten a small cut on it.

She hisses, growling before cussing at it, "piece of shit bike! Come on!"

She screamed and threw the torque wrench into the wall of the storage unit, she growled, grabbing her bike as if to strangle it. Shaking it back in forth, she then banged her head softly against the plastic tail. The bike, much like her clothing, shared a yellow and black affinity.

Getting up from the ground, Yang just grabbed some green looking soap to remove any grease from her hands, "next time baby."

"Mama loves ya," she leaned down and kissed the front of the motorbike before yelling at it, "just wish you'd quit being such a bitch!"

She finished with the soap, using some bottled water to rinse her hands off, walking out of the door she closed and locked it with her scroll. Yawning, she turned around to see the lights near another storage on, rolling her eyes she walked toward it.

Turning it off, she looked around, swearing that someone had sneezed.

"Alright, who's there?" Yang questions as she looked around the area, "come out!"

Holding up his scroll, Naruto looked at her, "sorry."

"Oh, it's you, what you are doing down here?" Yang asked while nursing her hand a little bit.

"Team keeps snoring really loud," Naruto lied while switching songs on his scroll. "So, I'm up late."

Yang looked at Naruto, the very teen she had talked so much trash about, "so…I have to admit something."

"Yeah," Naruto was curious, "what's that?"

"I mean taking on that giant Beringel, and getting out of the forest, that's some badass stuff there. I see ya, you're hiding something aren't ya, super-secret spy?" She inquires, jokingly of course, after all she wasn't that dumb to believe he was some sort of spy.

The blonde stifled a little, unable to form anything near a sentence, but he managed to just rub the back of his head.

He then chuckles out, "I'm just lucky, Dattebayo."

"Datteba-what…never mind." Yang sighs and rubbed the back of her head, trying to figure out what to say.

Naruto looked at her hand, "you alright?"

"Oh this?" The young Xiao-Long asks, "flesh wound. My bikes being a bitch, Bumblebee is usually nice to me, but she's just being a little hesitant of the gear shift."

"Okay, um, let's pretend I get what you're talking about." Naruto laughs and rubbed his fox ears from behind, "I'm not a very technical guy on vehicles."

"So, um, what are you doing down here? You following me or something," Yang eyed him as she looked into his blue eyes, "because I don't like stalkers."

"N-no, I wasn't following you, I've been down here." Naruto points out as he finally finds his voice.

The curly blonde just perked her lips in thought, then looked at him, "really?"

"Yeah," Naruto sighs, "why would I lie?"

Yang eyed him, then crossed her arms, "what were you doing then?"

"Um, well, I…I was just listening to music and hanging out in my storage." He answered, taking a deep breath, he looked at the storage unit.

She hummed a little bit, noting a dark spot on his hand, "that's a gnarly bruise you got."

"Oh yeah, you know…um…just pumping them weights." Naruto nervously replies as he backed away from her.

Smirking, Yang then pointed at him, "you're a horrible liar…so why were you really down here?"

He rubbed the back of his head, "I was just, you know…relaxing…getting away from my team."

Yang sighed, "I can kind of agree, one girl on my team is a total ass."

"Shit," Naruto laughed. "Trade ya, I mean Cardin was always a bully."

"Ditto on that one, loser really, rich family but crappy people." Yang agrees.

The duo of blondes yawn at the same, making each other slightly awkward. Finally Yang just stretches and and walked toward the entrance stairs.

"Yo," she called out to him. "You coming up or staying down here?"

"I think I'm going to stay down here for a few more," Naruto tells her, "I want to get some shut eye away from everyone."

"Well, okay then, night…um?" Yang struggled to say his name.

"Naruto, Naruto Namikaze," Naruto answers.

"Alright Naruto, well, I guess I'll see you around." Yang states and she stopped, "my name's Yang by the way."

"I know," Naruto admitted. "You were popular back in Signal."

"Aww, glad my reputation carried over here, anyway night there foxy. Oh, quick question, what is Dattebayo?" Yang inquired, still curious over it.

"Oh that, well, it's a verbal tick of mine. Don't pay attention to it, night." Naruto tells her before walking off toward his storage unit.

She watches him walk off, sighing as she muses to herself, _'maybe Weiss has a point…nah.'_


	9. Episode Nine: Who we are

Cardin's team was up early, though they weren't the nicest people around, they were instilled with lessons of being punctual by their families. Cardin's family was one of the richest in Vale, not exactly Schnee rich, but not nothing to shake a stick at.

Russel's father and mother were owners of a weapons shop, a very popular weapons shop called La Grenouille, a purveyor of many bladed weapons, from Akita Knives to Zenkai Blades. His family was a sub-company to The Winchester Armory Company.

Guess who was technically the boss?

Dove was from a poor family, growing up in the mean streets of the lower sectors of Mistral City. His family taught him street smarts, but his father was also a part of various gangs as a low-level dealer. Dove didn't have anything to with his father, mostly to keep his own nose clean.

That and he hated the man!

However, as they got ready, they took notice of Naruto's bed empty.

"Damn, did he come back last night?" Russel questioned as he noted the disheveled bed, the covers were recently thrown off.

Cardin shrugs before saying, "what are we, his babysitters? If the rich kid wants to skip class let him get kicked out."

"Well," Dove then points out, "academic scores are tallied together in a Team Grade so…"

The rusty leader just smacked his face, "goddamn it, fine, I'll find the Fox."

"Russel," the mohawk wearer stood in attention, "I need you to look for that lazy Fox Faunus in the cafeteria."

Russel nodded, "fine, fine. I'll even stop to get us some chow."

"Thanks, buddy," Cardin patted the boy's back, "by the way get some Dove some too."

"Yo, what am I waiter, should I get the fox something?" Cardin's buddy snidely replied.

"What, him, hell no. if he's so busy getting up early and leaving us behind, then he's got no reason to eat with us." The team leader of C.R.D.N walks with Dove, closing their dorm room.

"So," Dove broke the ice, "what's the plan from here on out involving our Faunus teammate?"

"Fuck 'em," Cardin crudely replied. "If he wants to go off and do what he wants, fine, but we're not going to get weighed down by him."

"Like I said," Dove reminds Cardin with sneer, "Team Grade."

"Well if he gets to the point of purposely flunking us, I can see if I can get him thrown out on his ass, let his parents pay for him somewhere else. Lazy sack of crap," the team leader sneered.

Walking toward the door, the light brunette just yawned, he looked over at Russel as he brushed past him, quickly apologizing, he was going to go ahead and head to class since he was ready. The classes were on the other side of the school, not too far from the student dorms, but not exactly a light walk if you were running late.

Turning a corner, the teen spotted Naruto, he was coming out of the common room. Yawning, obviously, from taking a nap, his school uniform had a minor gray stain on the left cuff. He had his headphones in, listening to a hip-hop artist named The Killer Bee, and even bopped his head to the music.

His ears wiggled, he turns around to see Dove, "yo."

"Where have you been at man, thought you'd be in the class by now, Russel went to grab grub for me and Cardin." Naruto rolls his eyes, Dove, "what?"

The blonde just puts his hands behind his head as he walked, "nothing, save for the tack I found in my bed when I came in this morning."

"Ooh," Dove rubbed the back of his head chuckling, "don't take it so seriously man, it is just a prank."

"Oh yeah, just a prank, remind of that when I put one in each of your beds." Naruto states as he stood there, crossing his arms.

"Shit man, really," the light brunette complained. "Do you have to be butthurt over everything?"

"Why don't you kiss my ass," Naruto growls out, "like you do with Cardin."

"Well for one Cardin is cool man, you're just sensitive." Dove shoots back, "so stop being a wuss."

Naruto just eyed him, "really, instead of calling me by my name Cardin insists on calling me fox. I'm not dumb and don't play dumb around me, I just want to knock the next few years out to take the exam early and get my sanctioned license."

"Sanctioned License?" The older teen inquired.

"In the booklet, we are given, there are three different types of licenses a Huntsman in training can receive throughout their training. A Training License is issued in our first year here, it gives us the ability to do low-level missions with a teacher. Then, after your first year, you can receive a Journeyman License. It allows you to do missions on your own, in some cases, without your team for income. The grandest of them all is a Sanctioned Huntsmen License…which gives you legal right to do whatever a Solider or LEO can do." Naruto explains as he walks, "you can take the full license exam in your third year if you wish."

"So," Dove sighed as he looked at Naruto, "you're not going to stay a part of our team?"

"No," Naruto answers as he looked down the hall, "as far as I'm concerned you don't want me and I sure as hell don't have any love for you."

"So, you hate us?" Dove questioned Naruto with a growl, balling his fists.

He took a deep breath, "I don't hate you, any of you for that matter. Hell, I don't hate anyone, I just don't like getting picked at everyday of the week."

"Kind of a wussy outlook for a rich kid, I mean, with all that money…" Dove then didn't get a chance to speak further when Naruto just finally snaps.

He roars out, "I'm not rich you dumb bastard!"

"I'm not rich, I work hard and long for the money I have, I worked hard to be in Beacon. I'm so sick and tired of hearing it from everyone, its like no one notices the big fluffy as a fuck ears on my head! You know what, fuck it, who gives a shit I'm done with this." Naruto explodes on Dove as he brushes past him, shoulder checking him.

Dove follows him, trying to talk to him, "hey what was that all about?"

"I'm sick and tired of people judging me, I'm sorry I can't be talkative toward you all. However, do you all really have to talk behind my back, this isn't grade school, jerk off. I'm sick of you, Cardin, Russel, and just about everyone else because that's all you all do. You blabber, smack your jaws, and the only way you stop is when someone turns around and decks you in the face!" Naruto stops and turns to face Dove fully.

The blonde fox Faunus growls, "and I'm so done about hearing how I fall asleep all the time! I passed all my tests fair and square, every single one of them!"

"H-how, that's pretty awesome, I mean I wish I could do that." Dove states as he tried to deescalate the mood while walking with Naruto.

The blonde looked at the hallway, watching other students exiting a cafeteria, "I have a program on my scroll that isolates and expands the voice of an instructor in the recording. I record entire classes, go home, and listen to them."

"So," the swordsman hummed, "you are nocturnal?"

The blonde just rolls his eyes, "a little…"

"Why did you take offense when Cardin asked?" Dove wiped his nose with the back of his hand as he spoke, allergies.

Scoffing, Naruto rolled his eyes, "because Cardin is a prick."

"Ooh, strong word," Dove winced as he spoke.

"Not untrue, look, I'm not your friend. However, I am your partner, and since we're stuck together for years we might as well be cordial. In that case, my advice is not to listen to someone like Cardin, because he'll be in the position to get stumped down a peg or two." The blonde tells Dove as they walk, they rounded a corner, coming up on classes.

* * *

Opening it, they walked in and Naruto broke off to sit at the back of the class, leaning back in his seat as he looked over at the teacher. A man with a very slim build, glasses, and held a thermos in his hand. From a distance, Naruto could tell the man was jittery.

His hands shook from high blood pressure, and judging by the smoothness of his skin, Naruto realized that despite the man being a Huntsman he must've been a distance fighter. No scars evident, so he must've taken the back row on any formation, or he had a weapon that just decimated enemies.

The blonde set up his scroll, targeting the man, snapping a photo of him so that he could put a picture with the track.

Dove was sitting in the middle row, just as Cardin came in with Russel, they had a plate of food for their fellow human compatriot. The blonde sitting in the back just sighs as the light brunette took the offer, not listening one bit to him about being chummy with The Winchester heir.

Next to walk in was a fellow blonde, a blue-eyed teen named Jaune Arc. The teen was squeamish, which made Naruto wonder if the teen had ever seen combat prior to coming here. He didn't have the air of a blue blood, definitely not like Weiss, who had obviously seen combat in some form.

The scar, begrudgingly, wasn't something she should be ashamed of.

Pyrrha came in next, sitting next to Jaune, followed by a hyperactive orangenette dragging a teen dressed in Mistralian garb. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, the two were inseparable most of the time, from what Naruto could see just from their three days here.

He watched as the instructor coughed, "good morning class, I see a lot of you showed up on time."

 _"Voice detected, saving settings, settings saved. Now recording based on parameters,"_ the scroll said through Naruto's headphones.

Suddenly the door bursts open, "we're here we're here!"

A silver-eyed girl screamed as she ran over to the front row, taking a seat, walking behind her was her team and the girl that saved his life just yesterday. She looked over at him, waving a little, he motioned his finger to wave back.

Too tired to engage in conversation, Naruto laid his head down, quickly taking his headphones off the scroll and keeping it pointed it at the instructor. It wasn't long before he was out like a light, and began to take calm breaths.

"Hello, class, now that we're all here, I'll begin by saying welcome you to History and War Games, here you'll learn strategies to use in the field via the history of use with that strategy. Perhaps it can inspire, perhaps it can save your life even! My name is Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck, I've been an instructor in Beacon Academy since your parents were in grade school." The instructor tells the class as he took his seat.

He then looks at the class, "but if will call on me, please say Doctor Oobleck, not Professor…I got my degree for a reason."

"Anyway, class, today's agenda is simply to get to know our students. So, when I call your name, please tell me what you like and dislike, and your dream. I am not going to judge you," Oobleck then twirled his finger in the air, "and since I have eidetic memory…I'll remember what you say."

He stopped twirling his finger in the air, then pointed it toward Nora Valkyrie, "Nora Valkyrie."

"Oh, wow, umm okay then. Anyway, my name is Nora Valkyrie, I _love_ pancakes and I like my friends. My dislikes, well, I don't like Grimm duh! Anyway, I guess my dream is to just become a badass Huntress!" Nora declared, passion burning in her eyes.

Oobleck clapped, "pancakes are lovely Ms. Valkyrie, indeed! Splendid, and it's a good dream to have that I have no doubt you'll succeed in if you put an effort forward."

"Next up," he then points at Cardin, "Cardin Winchester. What is your dream young man?"

Cardin laughed, "well you know, I just want to take over my family business. But I also want to be a great Huntsman, famous. I like the classic things, a good steak, a nice cold brew, and foxy ladies. I dislike people who think they're entitled, especially if they bear certain traits."

"I see," Oobleck eyed the teen, "well then. I can accept the fame part, after all, many people come into the halls in order to elevate their position in life."

The instructor then pointed his hand at Russel, Russel smiled and stood up.

"I am Russel Thrush, my dream is simply to also take over my family business, and gain fame as a Huntsman. I like about the same thing Cardin likes, save I prefer soda. My dislikes, well, about the same as well." Russel sat down after that, fist bumping Cardin.

Oobleck sighed, "very well then, Ms. Nikos?"

"My name is Pyrrha Nikos," the redhead stood up, "my dream is just to do the best that I can. My likes are simple things, a book, but I love when people don't give up. I hate quitters."

"Splendid things indeed for the famous among us," Oobleck clapped for Pyrrha, "next up…hmm…Blake Belladonna."

Blake stood up, sighing, "my name is Blake Belladonna. My dream is simply is something private honestly, I like reading my novels, I dislike racists and bigots."

"Simple, and quick, very good." Oobleck praised as he watches the girl sit down, he then took a deep breath.

He looked over the class, "Weiss Schnee."

Weiss stood up, bowing politely, "my name is Weiss Schnee. I am heiress to The Schnee Dust Company. My dream is to one day take charge, change it for the better, I like the higher things in life. I value etiquette and standard, and I dislike childish things."

"Straightforward, honest, not bad Ms. Schnee." The girl bowed, sitting back down as he went to the next person, "Ruby Rose."

The Silver-Eyed Girl stood up, smiling as she gave a peace sign, "my name is Ruby Rose. I have a dream to become a great Huntress like my mother was, I love cookies and my big sis Yang here!"

Yang grimaces a little, getting shook by the shoulders by her young sister. Some of the older teens in the room snickering, some cooing a little.

"I hate, I mean hate, nasty people!" Ruby proclaims as she puffs her chest out a little, "so look out meanies, Ruby Rose may beat you up!"

The class bursts out laughing, Oobleck found it hard to keep his composure, but being the total professional…he failed. Yang laughed slightly though it was more out of embarrassment. The class chuckle behind it, but Oobleck silenced them with a wave of his hand.

"A very pure dream and I love the upbeat attitude Ms. Rose, and mind I ask what flavor of cookie?" Oobleck inquires, curious to know what he could reward students for good work.

"Duh, the king of flavors, chocolate chip!" Ruby declares with an eye roll but then blushed slightly.

Oobleck laughs, "my favorite flavor, besides macadamia."

"You have my respect, good sir." Ruby states with a smile.

Oobleck chuckles, looking at his class, "next up…Yang Xiao-Long!"

Yang stood up, smiling as she brushed back her hair for a moment, "yo. My name is Yang Xiao-Long, I love my little sister here, so you have to go through me before you date her boys."

"Yang~" Ruby whined a little, looking up at her sister, "why~"

"Because I love you, dork, anyway, my pun game is strong if my name isn't Xiao-Long. I like exercising, going for runs, and most importantly kicking Grimm ass. Now, I don't have a lot of dislikes, I will diss you however if you're a jerk. But, oh boy if you ever hurt my sister…you're dead." She ended on a dark note, her eyes flashing red.

Valkyrie laughed, looking at Yang, "you tell 'em sister break their legs!"

"Thank you," Yang bowed jokingly, "thank you, I try."

Oobleck smirked, "you're just the little spitfire, aren't you? Well, good protective instincts are needed for this job, so I'll let it slide. Anyway, class, we'll begin with…oh wait I forgot someone…didn't I?"

He then looked at Jaune, "Jaune Arc."

Jaune stood up nervously, "my name is Jaune Arc. My dream is to be a Huntsman, my family comes from a long line of them. I like giving my best, but I hate when I fail."

Sitting back down, Oobleck pursed his lips, "but Mr. Arc to fail is to succeed. For you see, if you falter, you learn not to falter again the same way. The road to success is paved with the stones of a thousand failures."

Oobleck then realized something, "my Gods old age must be catching up with me, I forgot about one other person in the back it seems. Um, let's see, Naruto Namikaze!"

The blonde yawned, raising his head up, "Hmm?"

Ruby looked up at him, "we're telling our names and what we like and hate…oh and our dreams!"

Naruto yawns, stretching as he got up, he looked at Oobleck.

"My name is Naruto Namikaze, I love ramen and dancing, I like being left alone and doing odd jobs. My dream is to keep a promise, simple as that, and I hate very few things when it comes to life. Spoiled entitled brats, lazy people, and people thinking that life owes them a gold star for simply doing the things they should." Naruto spoke in a clear voice, he then sat back down and laid his head down.

The instructor looked at him, noting the scroll on his desk, _"I see that his file was correct on that…I wonder if he wrote the program himself."_

"Anyway, class, let us begin!" Oobleck states as he gets up from his chair.

He then smacked his face, "Gods, I forgot someone else, Lie Ren!"

Ren stood up, "I'll just keep it, brief sir. My name is Ren, I like my friend Nora, and my teammates. I hate lazy people as well, and my dream is to avenge my family lost in Mistral to Grimm."

"Right, thank you, , okay class…hmm…since it is your first day here. I will simply give you a simple lecture on the history of Huntsman and where they came from." Oobleck laughed when the class groans, "relax class is almost over anyway."

* * *

Walking into the cafeteria, Naruto yawns and stretches as he made sure his scroll recorded everything. It did, and he put his headphones into his ears, turning it over to a soundtrack to an anime he had watched one night in the common room.

Mistral Ghoul.

Looking at tables, Naruto opted to just go and sit alone, carrying a fresh bowl of ramen with him. Taking his seat, Naruto watched as the team took a seat at a table with some third-year students. Apparently, one knew Cardin, they laughed up a storm.

Getting his notepad out, Naruto looked at the various people he had sketched last night, he smiled as he flipped through the notebook. Taken first by Peach's sketch, Naruto slowly drew a halo around her head.

Flipping a page, Naruto came to Blake Belladonna, putting a halo around her head. He owed her one, so he'd make sure to pay her back sooner or later. Taking a deep breath, flipping the sketchbook to Weiss, he didn't hesitate to draw Nevermore wings behind her.

Nevermore wings fit her, strangely, making her look like a dark angel in a way.

Then he flipped it to Ruby, he deemed her way too innocent simply from the way she acted in her speech. He quickly marked her with a halo before drawing a chocolate chip cookie off to the side as a reminder of what she liked.

He then came to a blank page, realizing he hadn't drawn others yet, sighing he got his bowl of ramen and quickly ate it. Slurping everything down almost in one go, it was an art form in a way, quick eating was a staple in Atlas.

Finishing up, Naruto then quickly began to sketch other people into the notebook. First, and easy, Nora. She was well rounded, basic in model standards, nothing really popped out saying she was blessed with orange hair.

So, her hair would have lighter shading, making it easier.

Then next came Ren, since he seemed conservative in his dressing, Naruto didn't have to apply much detail to the human form. He quickly draws the designs of the clothes, making sure to have everything to working order.

"Hey there stranger," Naruto eyes widened slightly, "mind if we sit here?"

He turned around to see Velvet with her team, Naruto sighed, motioning for them to sit down. The girl wearing the bonnet smiled, chuckling as she noted the sketchpad. The more muscular of the men, Yatsuhashi "Yats" Daichi took a large gulp of his soda, while an auburn haired teen sat by Coco.

Fox "McCloud" Alistair was taking a bit of noodle into his mouth, looking at his team leader, "so Coco…why did Vel bring us over here?"

"Hey," Coco shrugs, "we're welcoming a new student besides he kind of got helped by her and helped her in return. So, what's your name artsy?"

Naruto sighed, "Naruto Namikaze."

"Ooh, lovely name, I am Coco Adel. I am the go to fashionista of Beacon, hot-blooded soul of my team, and I believe you met my adorable little sister Velvet." Coco shakes Velvet with her hands gripping her shoulders, "she may be shy, but she is a bad mama-jamma in a fight."

"I'm Daichi little dude, nice to meet you, I saw the vid of your initiation." Daichi laughs as he looked at Naruto, "badass in the making."

"Vid?" Naruto questioned.

"Oh, yeah, a new student was on the cliffs taking a video of you and your team fighting that Giant Beringel. Well, two of you were, while the other two kinds of ran like scared little punks." Yats laugh as he looked at Naruto, "seriously, bow wielders are rare man."

"Yeah, and I have to say, that weapon of yours is cool. An aura weapon is hard to use, simply because it eats away protective aura, but you seem really frigging awesome with it. Not to mention, you're fast!" Coco praises as she slid over something to him, "you may not have seen it, but lemon cake is a Beacon tradition."

The blonde took the plastic fork that he used in his ramen, taking a piece of it off, and then biting it. His face scrunched up a little bit, it was really good but really sour.

"Yeah, sorry, meant to warn you. We don't make store brand stuff here, everything is top notch, so when we say lemon cake, we really mean _lemon cake_ , eh?" Coco laughs some more, punching him in the arm, "so, newbie, liking it here so far?"

"Not too bad," Naruto admitted as he looked up at her, "in fact I kind of do…"

"Aww," the bonnet wearing bombshell coos, "well shucks kid. Anyway, you got Peach's class next, and she is awesome!"

"Save I failed her class last year," Velvet sighed, "I hardly use dust."

"Yet," Coco patted her adoptive sister's shoulders, "you need it sister, so pass!"

"Are you two," Naruto looked between them, "really sisters?"

"Nope, but when does blood ever define family, I got blood that isn't family, and family that isn't blood. I grew up in the mean streets of the industrial zone kid, fighting and knowing your clique was the way of life. I beat the shit out preppies enough that I trained myself from there, and when I started making money with my mother's store due to me being such a draw, I was able to get into here." Coco told Naruto about herself more, "and this little bunny grew up in the same streets."

"Me too," Yats said, "and I got the scars to show for it on my face if you look closely."

"Say, Naruto, what are you planning on doing after classes?" Coco inquires as she looked at him.

"Um, well, I was probably going to go do some art…why?" Naruto inquires, nervously, but some reason he felt relaxed.

The leader chuckled, "ever played Game Of Remnant?

"No," Naruto rubbed the back of his fox ears as he answered. "What is it?"

"Only the best board game ever, you can play as Mistral, Vacuo, Vale, or Atlas. You're goal is to conquer Remnant, I heard the new addition is coming with Menagerie added onto the board as playable, which is super dope." Yats states as he gave a rundown on the basics of the game, "I always choose Mistral."

"Yeah," Coco looks over at him, "and who always loses?"

"Shit, I never said I was smart, but remember I crushed you that one game." The tall teen shot back.

Fox sighs, drinking his green tea, "and I've beaten all of you…even when Coco and Velvet tried double teaming me."

Coco flirtatiously looked at Fox and Velvet, "context buddy boy."

Velvet blushes brightly, annoyed, "really?"

"Hey now," the bonnet wearing little shrugs, "I can't pass up an opportunity to bully my underlings."

* * *

Weiss was taking a seat in the cafeteria, "really, so he was just down there?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Yang answers.

"That's totally weird," Ruby said while taking a seat. "I mean, who just goes down to storage."

Blake sighed, "Yang…really, we should just take moment to figure out who he is first."

"He just slept through the last few classes," Yang pointed out and crossed her arms. "I mean c'mon Blake."

"Look," Blake glared at Yang, "say what you will. I'm telling you that judging a book by its cover is a very bad policy when it comes to Huntsmen in general."

"I'm trying to be a jerk, really, I'm just telling you from what I know." Yang replies while giving a frustrated sigh.

The hazel eyed girl just pinched her nose, she then has a thought, "let's make a wager."

"Hmm," Yang hummed. "I'm down."

"Of course, you are, now here it is. That Fox Faunus could beat you in a hand to hand fight." The bow wearing teen states, "and if he does you owe me tea."

"Oh, Blake, are you asking me on a date~" Yang coos as she looked at her partner, "fine, but when I beat him you owe me a nice dinner."

"For the record Yang, I don't swing that way." Blake clarified.

"I don't either," Yang then looked over toward where the Fox Faunus was sitting, "but I love free food."

Ruby looked at them both, "guys…please don't start fighting too."

"We won't," Blake and Yang answered together, "we'll just handle this civilly."

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch watches as her new students pour into the class room, she watches them all take their seats. She noted that some teams stuck fully together, while others just drifted away. However, one particular Fox Faunus stayed as far as he could from the rest of his team.

Taking a seat in the very back.

Ruby and her team came walking last, taking a seat at the very front. Everyone had their weapons with them, with some of them being set on students desks for display. The curly blonde took a seat, leaning back and propping her feet up.

She was the queen bee, cheerfully blurts out, "let's get this started!"

Glynda looks at Yang, "as much as I appreciate enthusiasm, get your feet off my desks please."

"Sorry," Yang sheepishly states as she removes her feet, "I'm just itching to fight is all."

The instructor looked at the blonde, puckering her lips, "alright then."

"Well, welcome to combat class, here you'll expected to spar with fellow students for a grade. I'll do lectures after each fight, pointing out weaknesses and strengths. I even take special requests because just out back is a range course if one of you primarily range. However, make no mistake, everyone here will be expected to do close quarters and range respectively." Glynda lectures as she sat in her desk.

She then sighs, "and as you just heard we have someone ready to start us of…Yang Xiao-Long, correct?"

"Yep, that's the name!" Yang yelled out cheerfully, "and can we choose opponents?"

"Of course, any special conditions?" Glynda sarcastically inquires.

"Oh yeah, hand to hand only, no weapons." Yang replies, "I really want to show my _hand_ to people."

Ruby smacks her face on the desk, lowly crying, "why?"

Naruto in the back was just stifling a small laugh, he liked puns. He noticed Yang looking at him, slightly confused, he looked around and noted no one else was near him.

"Well hand to hand is fine, and who's your opponent?" Glynda asks while marking it down in her board.

"Oh, that's easy, hey foxy in the back, wanna go a round or two!" Yang calls out toward Naruto.

The blonde Fox Faunus simply sighed, getting up and walking toward the stage. He hops up, getting and stretched. Glynda gets up from her desk and walks up small set of steps and gets into the center of the stage.

"Alright, it's the same rules as a duel, first one to drop into the red loses. Anyone wanting to back down?" Glynda asked.

"Nope, you foxy, ain't going to leave with your ears down are ya?" Yang eggs Naruto, trying to see if he'd get angry.

Naruto just stood there, "nah, I just hope I don't look too bad."

"Pfft," Yang teases with her finger as Glynda signals for the fight to begin, "bring it."

To her shock Naruto made the first move, moving extremely fast, so fast in fact he was already on her. A punch found her forearm, something she barely brought up in time to block. The Fox Faunus smirked as he suddenly went low to sweep her leg.

She jumps up before going back down and smashing her fist into the ground as he rolled away. Back stepping as Yang ran at him, Naruto hummed as he sidestepped her, blocking a punch. His eyes widened slightly however as he winces.

Yang smirked, _'this vixen has claws foxy, hope you realize that now.'_

 _'_ _Wow,'_ Naruto shifted his gaze to the board, his aura had dropped about ten percent from that hit.

Yang tried to kick him, but he easily caught it and tried to push her to the ground. However, the lilac Yang girl was able to hop backwards on one foot, twisting herself to kick Naruto, sending him back a little bit.

Licking his lip where the kick impacted, he hummed, _'her punches are strong but her kicking game is weak.'_

He notices her eyes turn red as she charges back at him, something that smirk, and he brings his forearm up to block her next haymaker. It made him wince, but slowly he opens his eyes from wincing to reveal red irises as well.

Yang's eyes widened slightly before throwing another punch, but this one was caught. The Fox Faunus gripped her forearm before going in and elbowing her in the gut. It made Yang's eyes widened as her aura went down for the first time in the spar. She then felt herself getting hoisted over his shoulder before being tossed across the fighting stage.

Dropping into a fighting stance as she lands, she looks at Naruto who had taken a fighting stance of his own. Both were in the light green, just right before yellow would come to play, crunch time as was known.

Naruto and Yang ran at each other. With both trading punches, both having their auras slowly ticked down as each block and counter costed them. The Fox Faunus stepped back, dodging a haymaker before delivering a devastating side kick to Yang's right shoulder.

It was powerful enough to make her get knocked back, her aura taking a massive blow. She growls, slamming her fists together as aura erupted around her. Naruto took a deep breath, readying himself as he lowered his stance slightly.

"Waah!" Yang roars as she charges.

Naruto's eyes widened tremendously, _'gotta dodge!'_

A split second too late and he'd been mulch as Yang slammed her fist where he had been before he ended up jumping back in time. The floorboards exploded, making Glynda's eye twitch as the debris scattered across the fighting stage.

Yang roars out as she ran right at Naruto, the lilac of her eyes replaced with rage, Naruto dodged a few punches before being forced to cross both of his forearms to block the next one. However, the yellow burning beauty smashes him toward the other side of the stage.

He slammed his back against it, falling from a small impression and onto his hands and knees. He glances up at his aura counter, it was nearly red, he was still in it. Getting up, bruises forming on his arm, Naruto focused his aura into his right fist.

After getting punched by Yang he figured that aura was explosive, which was her strikes held as much as they did. He couldn't copy it fully, but he could try to deflect it. Charging, Naruto draws his fist back as Yang draws her back as well.

Both launches them at the same time.

They impacted, a boom filled the room as Naruto's and Yang's eyes met, both glaring at one another. However, she then smirked before pushing through and knocking him back toward his wall impression.

Not wanting to go down humiliated, Naruto instead angled himself to catch wall with his feet and springboard back. Yang's eyes widened as managed to get a clean hit on her face, sending her back across the stage sliding.

She was stunned as she looks at the board, finding that her aura was in the orange, while Naruto's was getting ready to switch to red. It finally did after a moment, apparently, he held it out long enough to get in one good strike.

"Woo!" Yang hears Ruby cheer, "go Yang!"

Blake looked at Yang, she watches as the blonde walks over to the Fox Faunus. Holding her fist out, she smiled.

"Hey, foxy, good fight." She states while holding her fist out.

Naruto sighs as he bumped her fist, "thanks, Yang, Dattebayo."

Getting off the stage, Glynda starts grumbling about them breaking her stage before using her semblance to start repairing the damage. Grumbling about teenagers not being careful, she watches as Yang and Naruto go back to their respective seats.

Cardin and Russel were just sitting in theirs, both looking at each other and then at Dove, who stared back at them.

"Holy…shit." Cardin mumbles lowly.


	10. Episode ten: Games and Friends

Coco slammed her hand on a table, "my Mistralian Shadow Dancers shall remove your Atlasian Robot Battalion from the Black Wind Mountains, General Velvet!"

"Damn you, Commander Coco!" Velvet roars as she removed a vital piece from the board.

Daichi was just watching them play, Fox and Naruto were also playing, representing Vale and Vacuo. The next person to move was Fox, he sighed, looking at Naruto as the blonde whistled a little bit. The auburn haired teen scoffed, moving a piece forward.

"Ooh," Naruto winces slightly, "you walked right into a Great Sand Storm. According to my card, it gives my units total invisibility and automatically lets me destroy any unit I wish."

Fox growls, "don't you fucking dare…"

"I want to destroy your Goliath Class Walker." Naruto simply replies playing the card.

The older teen grumbles as he takes a key piece of the board, "lucky…son…of…"

"Its about to get worse," Coco pointed out. "On a scale of one to ten, I'm going with boned worse."

"Wait, what do you mean?!" Fox yells.

"You also sprung my trap. According to this card, once The Great Sand Storm is activated, I can attack on my turn if any units are nearby, with a three times increase to my attack." Naruto explains and then looked up at Fox, a hint of a smug smirk on his face.

Fox slammed his hands on the table, "I just lost?!"

"Rage quit!" Coco howls in laughter as Fox got up from the table, walking away to cool off.

Velvet laughed, "and it's now Naruto's turn."

"Well, Fox still had a chance. But," Naruto moved his units up into Vale, "then I just ended up Vale's doorstep due to another card of mine, Rapid Transportation."

The auburn haired teen came stomping back, looking at his hand, "I haven't got anything save recent graduated Huntsmen…crap."

"Yield?" Naruto inquired.

"Ah, yeah, I yield. Well, gotta say, GG." Fox bumped his fist into Naruto's shoulder, "now go kick the girls asses will ya?"

"Well, that's going to be kind of hard, since I am in Mistral, currently kicking Velvet's buttocks. Velvet dear, what was your next move, because your robotic army and special forces are encircled. And," Coco took a menacing deep breath, "I'm fresh out of mercy."

"Dust bomb!" Coco's eyes widened Velvet's declaration.

"No," Coco mumbles as Velvet flicked her Shadow Dancers down, "aww man…"

Daichi drew a card from a white deck, "ahem, Grimm invasion detected in Atlas, you have to sacrifice an army that is present in order to hold them off or sacrifice two dust cards to set a trap."

"I choose to sacrifice," Velvet discarded two cards from her hand, picking up two more out of The Atlasian Deck, "not bad."

Coco whistled before boasting, "and time to get your ass off my continent."

She played a card called Reinforcement Abroad, she looked at Naruto since he was the only other player, he slid over a very powerful unit known as a Sand Dredger. It was like a low flying Atlas Battleship, he hummed as he looked at Coco.

"Damn, nice, sorry I'll be using it later to kick your butt." Coco played the card, pushing and destroying Velvet's troops off Mistral's continent of Anima.

However, when it came to be Naruto's turn, the blonde merely held up two cards. A resource card of wind dust, and a self-destruct for the Sand Dredger. Coco's eyes widened, she then looked at where she placed her troops.

"Oh, come on," Naruto toppled every single one of her troops as she whines, "really? You said you haven't played before!"

"I'm a quick learner, I used to play board games all the time with my friend back in Atlas, I've won most of them." Naruto answers her with mirth in his voice as he looked toward Velvet, "your go."

Velvet smirked, "well, with Mistral's forces in a wreck, and since I doubt Naruto can reach me next turn…sorry, Coco."

Coco's anguish was audible, she growls as Velvet moved her little bit of troops left into her city, thus capturing it and ending her game. She sighed, smiling before nodding at both of them.

It all came down to Naruto vs. Velvet.

Coco then snickered, "fox vs. rabbit, a match since the dawn of time."

"Shut it, Coco," Velvet laughed as she looked at Naruto, "and…what…the…"

Naruto held up three cards, and smirked, he had just pulled them from the deck. Coco and Fox looked on in amazement as he places the cards down. Yats was just standing there, watching this go down with a gitty look on his face.

The cards were once again Rapid Movement, but in addition, he had Air Drop and Elite Fighter/Bomber Squad. Velvet's eyes widened as he moved his pieces across the modest size stretch of ocean from the north of Sanus since Rapid Movement allowed you to move across a continent, and Air Drop turned any units on the field into Paratroopers if so desired.

The Elite Fighter/Bomber squad was just formality, it decimates up to four pieces at once, but since Velvet had two relatively high-level pieces guarding Atlas City, she felt secure enough not to summon any more troops on her turn.

A fatal mistake.

Naruto's troops landed in Atlas city, decimating what little remained of her forces, securing victory for Vacuo.

"Thus, sands consume all, from dust we rose to dust shall we go back, all things restored…" Naruto preaches as he flicked her pieces down.

"Eh?!" Velvet screeches as she looked at the board, "you let me, and Coco just fight it out didn't you!"

He gave a smirk in response, making growl and blush in embarrassment, getting up from the table Naruto yawns and stretched. He had slept through Peach's class; Port's Class was something he had to stay awake since it was Grimm Anatomy.

Coco got up, walking over toward Naruto, "say foxy not bad. Want to have another round tomorrow, this time we switch up?"

The blonde rubbed the back of his head, "sure, I guess. I mean, so long as I get to see Fox, there, rage quit some more."

Fox responded by simply flexing his middle finger on his right hand, while keeping the others down. Yats rolled his eyes as he looked toward Velvet and Coco talking to Naruto.

The young woman laughed, "that I can agree to. Anyway, have fun, and take care alright?"

Yang was nursing a bruise on her face while eating dinner in the cafeteria with her team. The other students were probably getting ready to go into Vale since the weekend was closing in. Ruby was sitting there, holding a small ice pack on it as Yang's behemoth amount of aura began to do its work.

"Looks like I owe you dinner," Blake told Yang before taking a bite of fish fillet sandwich.

Yang nods in agreement, "and I told you I would. In hand to hand, I'm unbeatable."

Weiss looked at Yang, "you keep telling yourself that, but the Faunus was starting to gain the upper hand."

"Wow," Blake gushed a little bit. "You actually complimented a Faunus student."

"I see it only as courtesy," Weiss replied as she took some crab cakes and dipped them in sauce.

Ruby stammers out, "well at least Yang won, my big sis is number."

"Hey," Yang laughed. "At least he went out with a _Yang_!"

Everyone of the girls just rolled their eyes, while Yang kept a grin on her face. They continued to eat, with everyone enjoying themselves before they saw a few people walk over toward them. It was Team J.N.P.R.

"Hey guys!" Nora greets the girls before plopping down in a seat next to Yang.

"Oh, hey Nora, what up P-Money!" Yang enthusiastically greeted Pyrrha.

"Hello," Pyrrha cheerfully acknowledged, "how was everyone's first day so far?"

"Gah, so boring!" Ruby exclaimed as she continued holding the ice pack on Yang.

"Well you wanted to learn in the best school for Huntsmen on Remnant, and here we are, learning." Weiss admonished her younger leader.

"Pfft," Ruby snorts as she pouted, "I just wish I could shove a book in my head and learn from it."

"Oh, Ren could you imagine doing that, kind of like the time we skinned all those Beowolfs for money!" Nora said to her best friend.

Ren sighs, "Nora…we didn't do that, we can't do that."

"Aww, why gotta ruin good story Renny. Anyway," Nora turns back to Ruby, "I had bets on the Fox guy."

"Wait," Yang looked at Blake as she got handed some lien by Nora, "you opened a betting pool?!"

"I did," Blake revealed. "Why the heck wouldn't I?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I'm your partner!" Yang sarcastically replies.

"Yeah, and you made me some lien, good work partner." Blake chuckled before pocketing it.

"Still owe me dinner Saturday, no excuses." Yang grumbles.

The bruise finally healed up, "ah, finally, I can enjoy my cookies!"

She plopped the icepack onto the seat, "hey Jaune, you okay there buddy?"

"Yeah…just thinking of something," Jaune sighed. "I really just feel burned out, not really hungry."

"Oh, okay then, Pyrrha is he okay?" Ruby inquires from the redhead.

"Oh he's fine, totally fine, just burned out like he said!" Pyrrha laughed.

* * *

Getting back to his dorm room, intent to get a change of clothes before going to the gym and range area of the school, just under the student dorms, Naruto walked into the dorm room, going over to the dresser.

He pulled out a light blue pair of shorts and even a white T-shirt, walking toward the bathroom, Naruto closed the door before throwing off his uniform. Looking in the mirror, suddenly he could see something behind him, but upon noticing what it was he just sighed.

 _"They'll act kindly to you, they always do, remember Flynt and Katt? When will you stop being fun to mess with this time, a few days, months? Let's face it, there's nothing for you here, you will always be a nobody…even if you seem to have so-called friends."_ Naruto stood there as Dark Naruto spoke to him, he was in the mirror, _"you're hopeless, and as soon as they discover what you feel they'll just think of you as a freak."_

Naruto took a deep breath, _"perhaps, but until the day I become a Huntsman, I refuse to give into you.'_

 _"You'll give in eventually, after all, you made a near impossible promise anyway. Besides, I think that Coco girl is a little user. I mean, look at how she acted around you, didn't even know you. Only a matter of time before she asks favors, and when you can't deliver, you'll just be thrown away like the trash you are. Same thing with Katt and Flynt, not to mention Ilia."_ Dark Naruto continued to speak, he then looked right at Naruto, _"and Winter Schnee felt like you needed to leave before you put a bullet in your head. It'd made her look bad, she didn't care about you, no one truly did."_

Sighing, Naruto walked toward the mirror, he looked at his fox ears twitching. He swore he could see Dark Naruto in it shift about, turning into the people that he mentions with such rage and disgust.

 _"Why do you always appear when I'm feeling happy?"_ Naruto inquired as he looked at his Darkness.

 _"Because,"_ Dark Naruto smirked in the mirror, giving a toothy grin as he spoke, _"I am you."_

Slowly, the blonde could feel his heart drop, _"I'll get rid of you eventually"_

 _"Well,"_ Dark Naruto nudged his head side to side, _"could you blow your brains out? That'll do the trick."_

Standing there, the fox Faunus felt his small smile fade, he stood there just looking at himself in the mirror. With no desire to do anything else, just to stare into the abyss that was his eyes, deep into the darkness that laid cold and bottomless within him.

 _"I mean really, c'mon man, what is there in this life truly worth living for? A piece of plastic that says you can kill Grimm and criminals, then you become the monster you fight. Slap a white mask on you, paint your skin jet black, and all you are then is just a bipedal Grimm that can use a sword. This world, this entire existence, is just worthless."_ Slowly, but surely, a small tear made its way out of Naruto's eye.

It dropped on to the floor, it sounded throughout the room, just loud enough for Naruto's ears to pick it up.

 _"What if I want to exist?"_ he inquired from his darkness, _"what if I do not want to die, huh?! Did you ever consider that, have you ever considered that?! Maybe I want to live, maybe I want to have kids one day, be the father mine never was!"_

 _"We're nothing but wayward wonderers, searching for a meaning that is not really there, everything that ever was rose from dust, and to dust, it shall return. Forgotten, unremembered, cast aside as the endless wheel continues to spin. I mean, who remembers your mother beside you, after you're gone…she fades away and so will you eventually."_ Dark Naruto smirked, _"we are all destined to fade, to the abyss, never to be seen or heard again."_

 _"The only reason Mrs. Mirabella ever speaks to us,"_ Dark Naruto then heard the scroll ring, _"is because we make money for her. The only reason why we got that guitar because we spent money, same thing with the dance class instructor…no one wants anything to do with us until we do something for them."_

 _"We are, and always shall be, the speck of dust that will fade away into the endless sea of sand before too much longer. A fleeting blip in the ocean of time, our existence, just as effective to anything like an ant to a continent."_ He continued berating Naruto, the darkness laughs as he watches his fellow blonde grip the sink, _"how long until you finally realize this, till that little thread breaks and everything…and everyone…fades into the abyss?"_

Naruto broke away from the mirror, picking up the scroll, "hello?"

 _"Oh, Mr. Namikaze, bout time you answered. Anyway, the buyer is sending somewhere there in an hour to get the painting, and the money has been deposited into your account. You have a request, from Winter Schnee, a painting of her sister."_ Mrs. Mirabella watches as Naruto's face became one of surprise.

 _Mrs. Mirabella smiled as she spoke, "looks like you know her, anyway, she wants it done within the month. Not a super rush project like this Beacon one, and she patronaged a down payment of a thousand lien. Anyway, Mr. Namikaze, take care and expect you to be more timely meeting the buyer's people than answering my call."_

"Alright, talk to you later." Naruto hung up, sighing, he then walked to the bathroom door and opened it.

Only to shove by Cardin, "move it asshole, you were in there for over two hours!"

"Huh?" Naruto looked at his scroll, finding that it was nearly five, compared to three when he got into the dorm room.

Sighing, he just looked at his team, who was glaring at him. "S-sorry, fell asleep on the toilet."

* * *

Red Flower turned into its bow mode, he took a deep breath as he pulled the gravity enhanced dust string, firing an arrow at a target that fifty meters out. It struck the bullseye, the target faded away due it being a simulation target.

Naruto formed another arrow, pulling on the string again, firing it at a target in the one hundred meter mark, striking it with ease. Unfortunately, the underground range was meant for calibration compared to actual accuracy training, which sucked.

Firing several more times, Naruto sighed as he stopped, seeing that he had a perfect score on the target location. Forming Red Flower back into its sword mode, he walked over to the next room, he thought it was a gym and range, but apparently, they had a combat simulation robot. A CSB was a state of the art trainer, since it had over a thousand different opponent settings, from the average street pickpocket without a weapon for unarmed training, to even the teacher's within the academy itself.

It came with an aura modulator, forming an artificial auralike shield unless it was set to Grimm Mode. In Grimm Mode, it was "defeated" upon getting a fatal strike and would repair itself with nanites over time.

Sighing, he looked at the time, "better get out front."

* * *

Yang was in the storage room, jamming as she worked on her bike, she was currently adding a new dust fuel filter. Bumblebee was like, no, her baby. She loved it, it was her thirteenth birthday by her father after she got straight A's in class.

Perhaps the only time she did.

She had got bolts off, stripping her beauty down, she was a thrill seeker through and through. When she had first got BB, it didn't go over forty miles an hour. Now, now that beast of a machine was pushing close to a hundred and eighty.

New engine, new bodywork, new color, new-new-new!

Weekly allowances, weekends wading tables in local town restaurants, and doing odd jobs. Telling Ruby, she'd pay her allowance back if she lent her some, and she did, eventually. Though it came in the form of personal lessons no one was learning in her age group.

She nearly got hit by a piece of grease that fell from the filter, she managed to dodge her head out of the way. If her hair got a little dirty it didn't matter when it came to this, one of the few things she never minded getting dirty for, and Yang loved to work on machines just as a much as her sister.

"I can take you to heaven, I can save your soul, I can promise you forever," Yang sang as the radio played a band called Blues Saraceno, "YEAH SAVE MY SOUL!"

"Yang!" Ruby yelled rubbing her head.

She sheepishly smirked as she looked at her little sister, the bike was nearly finished and back to being usable. She had wiped out a week before coming to Beacon, that, and she had to sneak it in a piece by piece.

Claiming weapon equipment, but she thinks that at least one professor caught on, they just didn't say anything.

Ruby went over to the radio, turning it down a little, "love you sis but…keep your day job."

"Which one," Yang laughed as she raised up from the ground, "I have a day job making boys turn their head. Not to mention, I am a certified and Bonafede badass, and I'm not too bad with a tool. So, which one is it Ruby~"

Ruby rolls her eyes, "boys this boys that, what so special about boys anyway?"

"Well," Yang giggled. "Some boys are good guys, some boys are bad guys, and then there's the right type of guy."

"What's the difference, aren't all boys just the same?" Ruby asked while looking at her sister getting up.

"That's a good question there Ruby, some guys are just pervs that want a piece of you. You know what I mean, they think taking you out to eat allows them to get a little something-something if you know what mean." Yang suggests with a eyebrow wiggle.

Ruby blushes, "yeah…"

"But," Yang then placed her hand on her sister's shoulders. "Those guys aren't good guys, they're just tools."

"Oh…okay, but what defines a good guy?" Ruby asks her sister while watching her get some of the green soap.

"A good guy, well my definition, is someone that's the "right type" of guy. A guy who will make sure you're okay, stay there when the times are hard, and just make the world better." Yang explains to her sister, "kind of like you and cookies."

"So…boys can be like cookies?" Ruby questions, "that doesn't make sense to me you can't eat boys."

"Oh, my dear sister," Yang growls sensually, "you've got no idea of the amount of wrong I can show you."

"Ah, you're a cannibal!" Ruby accuses.

"No, you dolt!" Yang suddenly yells as she shook her head, blushing, "you're just too innocent to know better."

Ruby then starts blushing as she starts putting it together in her head, "ooh…wow…um…awkward."

"Yeah, well, all these guys can look all they like. The goods are remaining with me, only me, and will until the day I determine a guy is the "right guy" and move on there from there. I ain't going to go on a date with someone just looking down." Yang teases as she put the tools away.

The girl sighed, "yet, you have spied on boys before."

"Pfft, if they can look so can I, it's called The Game little sis. A game that you're too young to play, and if someone tries to play with…well…I have my ways of hiding a body." Yang tells Ruby while her eyes had turned red as she spoke the last part.

Ruby winced, "and this is why I can't have a boyfriend?"

"The million lien question is, who would be a great boyfriend?" Yang mocked while eyeing her sister, "besides I'm not on the market, and don't plan to be…so by extension you're not on the market."

"True, besides, I think boys are stupid anyhow. I mean, like you said, they only want one thing. Oh, and there was the fact you caught one sneaking in here with you!" Ruby suddenly pointed out what Yang had told her last night.

"Not really giving off the creepy vibe, so, he may be telling the truth. However, I just find it creepy that he was in there for so long, I'm almost tempted to break the lock on his storage unit and see if there's like a dead body or something." Yang admits to her little sister, and then she walks to her storage unit's door, opening it.

Ruby stepped out, turning off the lights as she heard Yang come out behind her, but as they started to walk, they heard talking. The two looked at each other, hiding to the side a little bit to make sure they weren't immediately spotted.

 _"Boss lady says you had a talent for this, can't believe that it is this good."_ They heard a woman speak from inside a storage unit.

She then heard a voice from inside the storage unit, _"I have a talent, I make money with it."_

 _"A very large talent."_ The woman suddenly states.

"Um, Yang, are they…" Ruby didn't get a chance to finish as Yang brought her hand over Ruby's mouth.

She shushed her up.

Yang giggled while covering Ruby's mouth, "and this where the adults have fun, hehehe."

Suddenly the door open, revealing Naruto wearing some loose clothing, behind him was a woman wearing a very high-end dress. Behind her was two burly men, she handed Naruto an envelope, with the blonde smiling and opening it.

"This way more than Mirabella was going to cut me," Naruto looked at the woman, "what is your name?"

"Lisa Krasnyy, an art dealer for The Pyrite Family, I act sometimes as a middleman for extra payment, consider what I gave you a down payment for a painting I had in mind…if you want to hear it?" Lisa questioned Naruto, who rubbed the back of his head.

Naruto shrugs as he thought it over, "sure, always interested in making money, Dattebayo."

"Alright," Lisa took a deep breath, "a life-sized portrait of an Equinox Flower in bloom, on the outskirts of Vale."

"May take a little bit, considering that requires unique colors and dye. So, give me a couple months, if you want it to be perfect. Not only that, I got to work ahead of yours from an old teacher of mine." Naruto handed her back the down payment, but kept the money he was owed, "so I won't take a down payment."

"Well since it is personal use," she looked at him while rubbing her bright flamelike hair, "twelve?"

"Thirteen," Naruto countered, "and not a cent above or lower."

"Fair enough, you've got a deal Mr. Namikaze." She held her hand out and he took it, shaking it.

She then motioned for the men to grab the portrait of Beacon, she watches as they took it out of the storage unit, it was massive. Days of work, constant hours, here it was completed. The blonde took a deep breath as she looked at him.

"I bid you adieu," she bowed in respect, "I await the call."

"Yeah, sure, no problem." Naruto waves her off, feeling some pride in his work, and walking toward his storage unit.

He took the money, walking into his storage locker, placing it in a small cupboard. The blonde looked at the blank canvases he still had. Counting them up, he sighed, he was going to have to buy more soon. He turned off his scroll's radio mode, walking toward his door and then closing and locking it.

The blonde's fox ears stood straight up, _'odd…her music stopped, early too.'_

The blonde Fox Faunus moved his ears in all directions, humming a little bit before suddenly turning on his heel. It was a flying cockroach, he looks on as it flies up into a bug zapper. He sighed, only to hear a sneeze.

Sighing, the blonde turned to face the container the sneeze came from.

"You're behind Nora's container, I'm sure what she keeps in there, but I swear I can hear an occasional growling." Naruto states while facing the container.

"Crap we're busted Yang," Ruby suddenly blurts out as she gets mouth free.

The Fox Faunus turns around, facing Yang's storage unit, "no…but you are now."

"Dang it Ruby, stealthy you are no sis, sup foxy." Yang greets as she and her sister walk out to face Naruto.

The Fox Faunus hums, "nothing much, um…you're looking better."

"Well thanks, that slug you gave me in the face wasn't half bad, how are your arms?" Yang inquires, watching him roll his sleeves up.

"Easily healed up," Naruto boasted. "They were healed before dinner."

"Wow, really, you must have some strong aura." Ruby gushes as she looked at Naruto.

Naruto smiles, "thanks."

"So, what brings you down to the dungeon Naruto?" Yang then watches as a man came back down the stairs.

"Sir I meant to give this to you," the guy holds out some bills, "from Lady Mirabella."

Both girls watch as Naruto counted the lien he had just been given, "she gave me too much."

"You're making our bonuses this year," the man states, "keep it."

Naruto smirked as he stuffed the lien into his pocket, "fine, but I'll have to balance it out later."

"Right, take care sir." The man states before running back up the stairs.

Yang and Ruby watches as Naruto hummed, looking at them, "well?"

"Well what?" Yang played coy.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I do in my storage unit," Naruto suggested. "I mean, I could be a drug dealer for all you know, Dattebayo."

"Fine," Yang then smirked. "Got any good stuff?"

"Yang?!" Ruby screeched, "really!"

Both Naruto and Yang laugh a little, with the Fox Faunus stopping first, "she's gullible."

"Yeah, well…" Yang finally broke, "okay seriously what do you do? Are you some sort of rich guy, what?!"

"I'm not rich, I'm an artist, come on…I'll show you both." Naruto gets to his storage's door, unlocking it, "but you cannot say a word about what you see here today."

"My lips are sealed!" Yang reassured him.

Naruto looked at her nodding before opening the door. The girls entered, Ruby's jaw nearly hit the ground as she saw a portrait of Weiss. It was so detailed, she swore Naruto just shrunk the girl down and had her placed on the easel.

"W-wow," Ruby stammers. "This is awesome!"

Yang looked at the painting of Beacon, which was nearly finished, it was huge. The blonde Fox Faunus standing at his door leaned on the frame. The teens then looked at a portrait of a redhead, with incense sticks in a small bowl below it.

"Wow," Ruby gushes as she looked at the woman, "who's this?"

"That…well that's my mother." Naruto stammers a little bit, "she had a thing with foxes."

"Well duh," Yang points out his mother's fox ears, "she was a Fox Faunus."

"Yeah…well, I guess that's enough sightseeing. Anyway, its late and I need some sleep." Naruto tells them, "so c'mon."

The girls exited the room, allowing Naruto to lock it up.


	11. Episode Eleven: Are You Here?

Yang was in paradise while Blake was in hell. They had gone out to eat, just like the girl promised, and eat they did. Well, Blake barely touched her food, fresh tuna noodles to be exact. The girl in front of her was downing bowls of Miso Ramen left and right.

"Ah num-num-num!" Yang's audible eating would normally be disturbing, but in Mistralian culture it was a sign the food was great.

Ichiraku Ramen, the name of the noodle shop, was owned by an old man and his daughter. Their shop was named after them, originally, they were from Mistral, so it only made sense they'd bring the food here.

Yang finishes her ninth bowl, giving a hearty sigh, "mmm that was good."

"Yeah…" Blake dreaded the bill, "so good."

"Ah c'mon Blake, what can I say, fighting works up an appetite. Back home dad's training days were accompanied by a literal feast behind it. Though to be fair," Yang giggles, "Ruby mostly ate the deserts."

"It is a wonder, you know, that she isn't a little chubby." Blake admits to Yang.

Yang nods in agreement, "I know right, she's got a very high metabolism…lucky."

"So," Blake teased. "You don't? All those noodles Yang."

"Pfft," the blonde rolls her eyes, "I'm not worried about it too much."

"Trying to build the love handles a little?" Blake teases Yang as she starts to eat her unfinished bowl of Tuna Ramen.

Yang snickers, "Blake that's not funny, besides you got booty around here."

The bow wearing girl stops eating her noodles, "ha-ha very funny."

"Belladonna, more like looks-good-on-ya~" Yang continues before downing a glass of tea.

"Well, Yang, I don't think I could ask for a better partner." Blake looked at the blonde and smiled slightly.

"Aww shucks," the blonde laughed. "I love you too."

* * *

Coco was with Velvet, watching her as she battled with Naruto. The two held cards in their hands, again, it all came down to the Rabbit Vs. Fox. Velvet smirked, placing her card down, only for Naruto whistle and place his down.

The Rabbit Faunus's eyes shrunk in horror as Naruto moved his pieces and conquered her capital city. Thus, winning the game, again, for the umpteenth time. Velvet, stunned, looked at Naruto who merely got up.

"GG, Dattebayo." Naruto calls out, fist pumping as he smiled.

The girl just groans, getting up, "yeah…GG."

"Aww c'mon Velvet, its all good." Coco pats her friends back, "besides our foxy friend here would probably make a good poker player."

"I don't know how to play poker, honestly." Naruto reveals, causing both girls to look at each other.

"No, no!" Velvet states as she crosses her arms, "not gonna even try that."

"Aww, worth a shot." Coco laughs before turning to Naruto, "say shouldn't be with your team right now on the weekend?"

"Hell no," Naruto growled. "I hate them, all they do is argue or just diss me for being a Faunus."

"That sucks," Velvet agreed. "I wished they'd act kinder, but you know what they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink."

"So true…" Naruto bemuses, "hey are you all doing anything later?"

"Nah, why, you want to take us both on date~" Coco teases.

The blonde Fox Faunus blushes brightly, "what?! No, no, I was just wanting to go hang out somewhere."

"Alright then, where at exactly?" Velvet inquires.

"Hmm, well, I've never been to the movies." Naruto tells them, "like ever."

"No way!" the bonnet wearing team lead gasps, "you've never been to the movies?!"

"Nope," Naruto rubs the back of his head, "I've never really had a desire to go…since well, it's a bit of a friend thing."

"And just like that we've got us a plan!" Coco grabs Naruto, who was too stunned to do anything as he was dragged away.

"Hold up, hold on!" Naruto yells as he was zoomed down the hall.

"No!" Coco yells out with a gleeful smile.

The blonde yelps as she lets go and Velvet bumps into him before heading into the room as well. He heard grumbling, yelping, dresser drawers slamming and opening. Until within the span of a literal minute the two girls came back out, dressed in casual clothing and smiling.

Naruto meanwhile looked at them both, blushing a little, "um…"

"I think he's in love," Coco teases which made him blush even more, "c'mon Foxy let's go have a night on the town!"

"Eh?" Naruto cocked his head before he rolled his eyes as he grabbed and dragged.

Powerless to stop the girls from taking him out, he just sighs, "I feel like I'm being forced into something."

"What, no, why would we force you. What ever gave you that impression?" Velvet laughs.

"Oh, I don't know," Naruto wasn't even moving his feet at this point, "because I'm being dragged."

"Pfft," Coco snorts, "semantics."

"I'm calling Fox and Yats, they're going to meet us even if they're busy." Velvet states, giggling a little bit.

* * *

"twenty…twenty-one…twenty-two," Yatsuhashi "Yats" Daichi breathes as he lifts the weights up on the bench, "twenty-three, twenty-four!"

Fox, his spotter, was leaning against the wall looking at his scroll. Knowing Yats the teen wouldn't be done until he got at least fifty in in. Suddenly his scroll rings, and he looks down at it to find it was Coco.

"Ello?" Fox questioned.

 _"_ _Hey Fox, drop what you and Yats are doing, we need you guys to get the cinema! We got another fox in tow."_ Velvet cheerfully states over the scroll.

"I see," Fox looked over Vel's shoulder to see Naruto getting dragged a little, "so…um when?"

 _"_ _Now!"_ Coco yells.

"Sheesh, fine, got'cha." Fox hangs up and looks at Yats, "we gotta go."

"What?! Oh, c'mon man, I'm nearly there!" Yats complains as he finished his fortieth rep.

"Yats…" Fox groans, "Velvet called us."

Yatsuhashi sighs, "fine, I'm up."

He pushes the barbell onto the prongs, he then looked at it, "three hundred pounds ain't half bad."

"You're such a meathead," Fox smirked. "But you're my best friend."

Yats smiled brightly, "you know it, and Coco is your little booty here and there."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Fox plays off as he and Yats walk toward the locker rooms in the gym.

* * *

Coco, Velvet, and Naruto were standing in in front of Jo-Star Cinema. The main cinema to Vale City, Jo-Star Cinema was a local staple. All the best movies, new and old were played, and Sundays were designated as Anime Day in the cinema. It was designed, successfully, to cater to all moviegoers palate.

Naruto rubs his arm, still sore where Coco had dragged him here.

"So," Naruto says while continuing to rub his arm, "why did you all make it a big fuss to drag me out here?"

"You're our friend dum-dum," Coco replied with a smile. "And us buddies gotta be close like family."

 _'_ _Well that's a weird way to put it considering you and Fox…well never mind Velvet your ears didn't hear anything last time.'_ Velvet chides herself, keeping silent.

"Besides man you work hard, you put up with a lot of BS because of Cardin and his cronies. I'm just wanting to give you the full Beacon experience." Coco continues while placing her on Naruto shoulder and then sighed.

Velvet moved her ears about, "no sign of them."

"I mean c'mon, we're always waiting for the boys. They never come when you need them to, never on time mind you, and blow the plans up in your face. I mean really," she looks over at Velvet who was red in the face, "you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine…just fine…perfect really." Velvet mumbles.

Naruto finally caught on, blushing the same shade as Velvet. That's when his ears moved, and he heard the crowd talking. He took notice of a girl walking by him, with a parasol, she had pink and chocolate hair, her eye color was basically the same.

She whistles a merry tune, Naruto watches as she walks down the sidewalk. Briefly they meet eyes, she winks at him before continuing her way. The blonde Fox Faunus blushes slightly more and gets a hit on the shoulder by Coco.

"Hey there, you got girls winking out at you." Coco laughs at him a little, "should I stop her?"

"N-no…" Naruto shook his head, nervous, "she's probably not my type."

"Aww what makes you say that Foxy?" Coco asks while continuing to prop herself up on his shoulder.

The blonde sighs, "she just feels…off."

"Whatever," Coco replied while rolling her eyes. "Hey, there they are, about time!"

Fox and Yats walk towards them, Yats holds his hand up in a wave, "yo!"

"Don't yo me, you're late, again Yats!" Coco yells.

"Jeez, sorry, didn't know we were getting roped into Little Fox's double date." Yats groans as he held his hands up in defense.

"For the record its not a double date, I'm just here because I suggested movies and they dragged me." Naruto interjects, pointing out the fact.

"Well since we're here," Coco turns to the cinema, "let's get in and enjoy a nice movie!"

Velvet then looks at everyone, "how about a Musical!"

"Um," Yats rubbed his head. "No offense Vel…I don't think any of us besides you like musicals."

Fox stands there, "we all know damn well I can't pick. Besides, Musicals don't sound bad.""

"Well two votes Musical, Naruto?" Coco inquires as she turns to the Fox Faunus.

"Um, well, it doesn't sound bad either. Besides there's a new animated movie playing…what was it? Um…" Naruto tried to figure out the movie's name.

Velvet then answers him, "The Tale of Blizzard Ghost."

"Oh yeah, and the actor is Masako!" Yats cheerfully states.

"Wells its settled I guess," Coco said while walking toward the counter. "Its own me guys."

* * *

He brought Red Flower with him as he scanned his scroll on the door, entering it, he closed it gently behind him. He needed stress relief as well, between the meeting of new people, and his darkness speaking up every other day, it was high time he got a little blood flowing.

Walking toward the robot, Naruto waved his hand in front of it, bringing up a touchscreen.

His eyes widened at the literal hundreds of options in front of him, taking a brief glance at the sword section, he came across a familiar name. That's when he realized Peach used a sword, and she was listed as a master swordswoman and used a cutlass.

This robot was like an open summary of various things and people!

Curiosity got ahold of him, he quickly selected Peach, watching it transform into the very visage of the woman he had to meet Saturdays for counseling sessions. The robot's eyes glowed red, indicating that it was getting ready to go into "battle mode" and backed away from Naruto.

 _"draw a weapon,"_ the robotic voice ordered.

Naruto took a deep breath, grabbing ahold of Red Flower and unsheathing it from the scabbard, no sooner than he did the robot charged at him with a newly formed cutlass made of nanites in its hands. The blonde's eyes widened as the robot suddenly spun on one foot and ignited the sword in flames.

He brought his chokuto, blocking the strike, making sparks fly across the room before he turned on his heel and attempted to hit it with his hardened scabbard. The robot just kicked it away, pressing him backward before breaking the deadlock and stabbing at him rapidly.

The blonde's eyes turned red as he dodged the incoming strikes, jumping over the robot and slashing at it, but to his surprise, it blocked the strikes easily by merely swiping the cutlass above its head in areas it predicted Naruto was going to strike.

As Naruto landed, he felt his senses blare out warnings, turning around in time to see a wave of flame heading from him. Obviously, the robot was programmed to use Dust Techniques and Aura Attacks as well.

So, the blonde channeled his aura through his blade, activating the wind dust crystal in it. Slicing upward, a wave of wind met the flame, making it blast inside of the room with a large boom. Backing away as the smoke from the small explosion died down, Naruto looked to his sides and saw the robot running along the wall to his right.

Growling, his sweatpants and shirt fluttered in the wind as he ran toward the robot, intent to intercept it, however, it then suddenly leaps toward the ceiling and runs along it. Sliding to his knees just in time to dodge, Naruto rolls forward as it came down and stabbed the ground.

The nanite sword of the robot dispersed across the ground when it stabbed into it, simulating it sinking into the ground, which meant if Naruto had been "stabbed" it probably would've called the match automatically.

Safety!

Naruto got his feet, turning on his heel to block with both his scabbard and sword as the robot charged forward, it then backed off before launching another wave of fire at Naruto, who in turn just leaps toward a wall and kicked off it to dodge.

Getting to the robot's side, he spun once in the air and sent a wave of wind from his sword, the robot blocked the wave of wind with ease. It looked at Naruto with cold, dead, beady eyes before running parallel to him.

Stopping in his tracks the blonde suddenly propelled himself from where he was running, giving a war cry as he slammed his scabbard and sword down onto the cutlass. It made the robot stumble back, allowing him to leap and turn his body in order to give it a kick across the face.

The kick sent it lurching to the side, only to bring it's sword up, which forced Naruto to roll to the side and dodge it. Once he did, he took a deep before spinning around and blocking with his scabbard before swiping with his chokuto, spinning on his feet as if he was dancing.

Sparks and the sound of metal on metal flooded the room, the rotations of his spinning becoming faster and faster. Audible growling and grunting could be heard as he kept his rotation up, and when the robot tried to get a strike in, he leaned back no different than he would with a dance partner in a tango.

Only this robot was a much better dancer than he thought, the reality came when it slammed it's leg into his side, sending him across the room and into the wall. Coughing up a wad of spit, Naruto growled as he fell from the wall impression, which began to repair.

He heard beeping, looking at the scroll he had, he saw that his aura was in the near red. Taking a moment to collect himself, Naruto put his sword halfway back into the scabbard, holding it to his left. Crouched down, Naruto focused hard as he began to run toward the robotic Peach.

Roaring out, Naruto slashed his sword upward from the scabbard, the whistling of wind was loud as it turned into a roar.

The robot dodged it!

Naruto's eyes widened as he turned around, seeing the sword coming for his back, reversed in grip by the bot, he felt the nanites wash over his back as it slammed the sword into him. Watching it flow toward where the sword would be sticking out, and actually, the nanites were forming what it'd look like without the blood and gore associated.

Lurching forward, Naruto heard the bell ring, an indication that the match is over.

The robot turned back into itself normal inactive state, Naruto stumbled forward, turning around to see where he was on defeating it. He saw that he was halfway down its aura, he took a deep breath, taking a moment to focus.

His aura flared around him as he reignited, a little trick that came with his ability to manipulate his high reserve pools of aura. If he could get a few seconds out of combat, the blonde could force his aura to go back to full, the only bad thing about it was that it drained his stamina massively.

A knock on the door signaled that someone was there, Naruto looked at the window to the room, finding Kakashi of all people in there.

Walking toward the door, opening it, Kakashi was standing just outside. He even had a bag of popcorn with him, obviously, he had been standing there for a few moments. The white-haired security officer looked at Naruto, smiling under his mask.

"Not bad there, kid," Kakashi complimented, "you need to press more though."

Naruto looked at him, "how would you know?"

"Because," Kakashi held his hand out for Red Flower, "I am trained to take down any instructor in the building if they ever go rogue. It happened once, remember the news story from three years ago?" Kakashi inquired.

"The Pillar Men Gang, they had a person disguised as a teacher here. I read the story, it was Wamuu Alwardat-Alsawda. The leader of The Pillar Men Gang was his younger brother, Kars Alwardat-Alsawda. The third guy was never caught, I always read up on things like this, because it's part of being a Huntsman…right?" Naruto asks nervously by revealing what he knew.

Kakashi laughed, "very good, keep it up and you'll make a good junior detective at the very least."

The blonde's eyes twitched, handing Kakashi Red Flower, the man bounced it in his hand. Humming as he did, he then looked at Naruto with a smile under his mask.

"So, tell me, does it have a second form?" Kakashi inquired.

"Bow," Naruto pressed a button on the scabbard, it then transformed into a bow and the wind dust crystal becoming visible.

The man hummed, "not bad, honestly though it could be improved."

He switched it back into sword mode before handing it to Naruto, "so you went with Peach's model, she's a hell of a fighter. I'll go with the same model, want to watch me back up my words?"

Naruto shrugged, "sure, I guess."

Kakashi walked toward the door, only for Naruto to realize something, "hey where is your weapon?!"

"I am my own weapon," Kakashi stated as he opened the door, walking inside.

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi stretched and then waved his hand in front of the robot. Flexing his hands, the robot brought up the screen, the security guard just smirked and pressed the previous button.

Suddenly the robot lurched, becoming Peach, and activating its cutlass. _"Draw weapon."_

"Code Veronica, Romeo-Echo-Sierra-Tango-Romeo-India-Charlie-Tango-India-Oscar-November, Oscar-Foxtrot-Foxtrot." Kakashi gripped his hand and stretched, "activate."

 _"Restriction Off mode activated, Code Veronica engaged, engaging!"_ The Robot Peach yelled as he charged forward.

Kakashi dodged to the side as it tried to stab him with the cutlass, it was solid enough to cut into his mask, however, Naruto's eyes widened when the man jumped up and kicked the robot into the wall behind him.

Turning on his heel, Kakashi ran fast, a golden aura around him as he punched the robot several times in the face. Grabbing its free hand before throwing it across the room. The security guard smirked under his mask, flexing his hand as the robot caught itself and ran along the walls around the room.

"Code Veronica turns off its inhibitor for students so that it can move and act like the real deal, instead of some training doll." Kakashi spoke out as he used a solid aura to block sword strikes as it leaped from side to side across the room, "and in addition, it also turns off the safety modes."

Kakashi jumped up and delivering a cheating gainer into the side charging robot, sending it across the floor and into a wall.

"In addition to that as well," Kakashi took a step forward before becoming a blur and appearing in front of the robot, "the fight won't end until your aura is knocked out or you damage the bot to force auto repair."

 _'_ _He's…so fast,'_ Naruto couldn't keep track at all the punches and kicks Kakashi threw into the robot.

Kakashi dodged to the right as the robot tried to slash at his head, he gripped the forearm of the machine before pushing it hard against the wall and headbutting it hard enough to make it stumble back.

It spun on its heel, activating it's dust reserves, and sending a wall of flame at Kakashi. The man just stood there making Naruto eyes wide as a he heard a screech before seeing the man's aura glowing around him in a solid construct.

"Aura Manipulation," Kakashi flexed his hands as the construct dispersed, "is my specialty."

"Amazing…" Naruto mouthed aloud, _'c-can I also do this?'_

Kakashi took a deep breath before running fast and jumping up before delivering several kicks across the robot.

The machine seemed to struggle, only for the man to not relent and sent it back across the room once more. Kakashi took a step forward, suddenly Naruto's fox ears heard a screech and watched a ball of golden light formed in Kakashi's hand.

"Aura Manipulation allows for aura attacks, such as this one, something I got taught by my teacher in an age long gone by for old men like me." Kakashi charged forward and appeared in front of the robot, "and thus I end my lesson for you."

"Rasengan!" Kakashi roared as it hit the robot, blasting the upper half off, dispersing it into nanites.

The lower half, where it had been hit, blasted further into the wall. Sending an alert that the structure had been damaged massively, Naruto's eyes were bugged out as he watched Kakashi simply stand up straight and turn to him with a thumb's up.

He walked over toward the door, opening it, "the only person I cannot beat in this simulation is Ozpin. Everyone else, I have beat over and over. Now, be in mind, if you do beat an instructor…don't get uppity."

Kakashi looked at Naruto, "because unlike a robot, a mortal being can always learn from their mistakes and improve."

"A-a-amazing," Naruto stammers as he looked at Kakashi, "and…what was that…you did with your aura?"

"Aura Manipulation Techniques. Sometimes they require more focus, like with Glynda's forming of ice crystals from water, or Peach's ability to naturally generate a flame despite her semblance being Mind Walking." Kakashi revealed to Naruto, the blonde then looked at him.

"Mind Walking…wait…" Naruto then suddenly realized what he meant, "she can get inside of your head?!"

Kakashi laughs at the blonde, ruffling his hair, "of course she can."

The blonde blushed a little bit, he was a typical male, and any girl he met pretty much had a fleeting thought process through his mind. It was natural, if anything, it was the indication of a healthy libido factor.

All men, and indeed all women, had these fleeting fantasies pass in their mind.

The man laughed, "I'll bite the bullet, between Glynda and Peach, I'd probably go with Peach despite her orientation. Judging by your face kid, well, you pretty much have the same taste hahaha."

"I am not attracted to angry women," Naruto mumbled as he crossed his arms, blushing even more.

The man rolled his eyes, "and yet, at the mere mention she could walk in your mind you tensed and blush like some giddy school girl."

The blonde's fury suddenly exploded, in embarrassment, he pointed at Kakashi, "you're one to talk, Dattebayo!'

The man in front him stood there for a moment, he blinked before looking at the blonde's eyes. Sighing, Kakashi crossed his arms and watched as the blonde blushed from embarrassment at his sudden outburst.

"S-sorry, I can't help it, when I'm excited it just slips out…my mom had the same problem. Only, instead of Dattebayo, she said Dattebane…whatever it meant." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, he looked at the ground, "you didn't read my file, did you?"

"What file?" Kakashi inquires as he looked at the blonde.

"Oh," Naruto sighs as he looked at the man, "nothing. I should be going, I need to get started on something else that I've been putting off for a while."

The man waved him off, "ciao then, see you around kiddo."

He then stopped for a moment, "Naruto…quick question."

The blonde stopped, "yeah, what's up?"

"Would you like to get some cocoa with me?" Kakashi offers as he walked toward the blonde.

Naruto nodded, "sure, I'm actually a little cold."

* * *

Naruto was asleep in Port's class, a class he never normally slept in. It was the middle of the second week inside of Beacon, and Ruby was goofing off with Yang. Mimicking Port when he had his back turned, both girls giggle.

Weiss was slowly getting frustrated, Ruby hadn't been paying attention and they had a quiz on this stuff tomorrow. Slowly, beneath her skin, anger boils. She slowly rubbed her right hand, a sign of frustration, and she saw Yang stroking her upper lip while continuing to joke with Ruby.

Cardin meanwhile had a similar problem as a loud snore permitated the classroom, throwing Port off a little. He turns around and took notice of Naruto leaned back in his chair, snoozing. The man coughed, noting the scroll pointed at his direction.

 _'_ _Must've been a late night,'_ Port mused. "Alright class, today my regaling ends with a lesson that many can't learn unless they do."

The crate in the room crashes and bashes around, "ah yes, it finally awakes."

Jaune nervously raised his hand, Port pointed at him, "yes good chum, what is it?"

"Um," Jaune points at the crate, "why is the crate growling?"

"Oh, that's simple, inside of it is a Grimm dear boy! Yes, you see that beast in there was a pain in the bum to get in the crate. I think we had to sedate it with enough tranquilizers to bring down several elephants!" Port announces as he walks over to it.

Jaune grimaces, scared that he'd get volunteered, and by the sound of the cage it sounded like the Grimm inside of it was not exactly asleep anymore.

"As soon as the beast is slain the class will end," Port told everyone. "Now, who would like to volunteer?"

"I'll do it." Weiss states before standing up.

"Yay Weiss, go represent Team R.W.B.Y!" Ruby cheers her friend and teammate.

Only for Weiss for to shush with a hand wave before Port walks over to the cage. The man gives a mighty snort before slamming his hand on the lock. The lock broke, revealing a boar-like Grimm, running out of the cage and nearly slamming into Weiss.

"Ah yes, The Boarbatusk, mean little things, aren't they? Obviously, this Grimm is based around the common boar found in the wilds of Vale and Mistral. Now, the key differences between The Grimm Boarbatusk and a regular boar are quite simply in the name." Port lectures the class as Weiss dodges another attack.

Port smiled jovially, "they're quite agile and well armored with their bone plating. They can move very fast in a straight line, but most importantly is that their name is the symbol of their difference. While boars sometimes have long teethlike tusks, The Boarbatusk takes this literally and has tusks meant to gore any unprepared Huntsman or Huntswoman."

"You got this Weiss!" Ruby cheers some more.

Weiss formed her glyph, blocking it when it rolled up into a ball and charged at her. She was slightly stunned by its speed, but quickly found her footing and began to push it back a little with several thrusts from Myrtenaster.

"Having some problems there Ms. Schnee, hohoho!" Port laughs as Weiss gets knocked back.

"Why isn't it attacking you?!" Weiss yells at Port.

The man stroked his well-groomed mustache and merrily answers, "because it knows better my dear!"

"Weiss!" Weiss turns her head toward Ruby, "get it on its back, it has no armor on its stomach!"

"Shut up, Ruby!" Weiss screams while focusing, The Boarbatusk rolls back up and spins.

It was intent to try and draw blood, even it had to go all out to do so. Weiss roars as it charges her, forming a Glyph that made it bounce up into the air and on its back. She used several Glyphs to hop around and gather momentum before launching herself and spearing the Grimm with her sword.

Sliding on the ground a little, breathing hard, Weiss takes a deep breath.

"You did it!" Ruby cheers and runs up to her friend after the class started walking out.

"Get away from me!" Weiss pushes Ruby away from her.

The girl looked hurt a little, "what did I do?"

"You keep goofing off, you're supposed to be our leader, and you're always goofing off with your sister in class. You don't act like a leader, you aren't my leader, and Ozpin made a mistake picking you as such! You're nothing but a child, a brat, you have no inkling of responsibility and think everything is all fun and games!" Weiss stared right into Ruby's eyes as she admonished them.

She hisses at Ruby, "grow up."

Ruby was standing there, gob smacked, she looked down at the ground while Yang yells at Weiss. Only for the heiress to ignore her and walk away, the girl sighed and looks at Yang before walking out of the classroom.

Port was about to head out until he noted a snore, "Namikaze!"

"Eh?!" Naruto screams as he awakes and falls out of his chair.

The blonde Fox Faunus moans in pain at rubbing his head before reaching up and grabbing his scroll.

"Whoa, sorry, I'm out P-Man!" Naruto says while running outside of the class.

He stopped when he noticed Ruby kind of crying as she walked down the halls, trying to be comforted by Yang. He walks over to them, hearing footsteps coming down the hall.

"I don't get it…I thought we were cool." Ruby says while wiping her eyes.

Yang sighs, "Ruby, Weiss is just a jerk."

"I know," Ruby replied. "I thought we were friends though."

"Hey," both girls turned to Naruto, "did something happen?"

"Dude, were asleep throughout the entire thing?" Yang inquires.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "pretty much, yeah. I had a chance to get a crack at the training robot and pretty much stayed up practicing."

"Go figure…anyway, Weiss went total Bi-I mean-Meanie mode on Ruby. I know she goofs off, but hey she's fifteen." Yang offers up.

Naruto nods, "and Weiss pretty much got fed up over nothing?"

"Oh wow," Yang sounded surprised. "You got that down to a T."

"Weiss is a spoiled girl; don't take anything she says with a grain of salt. She's not used to having people order around, and probably thinks she's owed the lead. Pretty much sums up her really," Naruto rubbed his chin. "Though I'm not saying she's irredeemable."

"Well…we're not friends, she just hates me." Ruby sniffles.

"Nah Ruby, she's just frustrated because things aren't going her way. Trust me," Naruto smiled as he patted the girl's shoulder. "I think you're one hell of a team lead."

Ruby smiles, "you think so?"

"Yeah, of course, you could buckle down a little though. But that's the thing, life isn't about practice and study, its about fun especially if you got people to spend it with. Like, for example, getting dragged to a movie with your friends." Naruto points out with his fox ears standing straight up.

Ruby smiles, the tears trying a up a little bit, "thanks Naruto."

"Meh, no problem, Dattebayo." Naruto laughs a little.

"You seem happy about something," Yang said to him. "You not really one to talk to a lot of people."

"Well, duh, I just don't like seeing someone hurt. Besides Ruby is a nice person, I mean from what I seen. Besides," Naruto turns away and looks down the hall, "it seems like Ozpin been waiting on me to quit yapping."

"Wait what?" Ruby looked past Naruto and Ozpin standing there.

Yang was surprised, "how did you know he was there?"

Naruto flopped his fox ears around, "don't know you tell me."

The lilac eyed girl lightly punches his arm, "shaddup."

He yawns, "well I'm off to get shut eye, need I good nap."

* * *

Cardin and co. got back into their dorm room, finding that Naruto was laying in his bed, Russel rolled his eyes at the blonde. He was sound asleep, earmuffs over both his fox ears while having earbuds in his human ears playing through several songs.

"See," Russel states, "look at this lazy ass Faunus we got."

Cardin pinched his nose, "I know, we're so fucked when it comes to the test next week in Oobleck's class. God knows you aren't smart and Dove here is pretty much our best chance at getting a team score."

"Jeez, Card, really feeling the love." Russel bemoans he looked at his friend.

Dove sighed, "whatever, besides if he screws up we can always teach 'em a lesson."


	12. Episode Twelve: Medication

_"According to many historians, The First Era, known as The Peace Era, was between 700 B.G and 1241 B.G. The Era was known specifically as unique, because?"_ Naruto looked at the question to the test before writing his answer down, " _Anima, and Menagerie was drawn as a single continent on stone maps."_

 _"The First Era is also commonly referred to as?"_ Naruto jotted down his answer, _"The Taiyo Era."_

The blonde looked at the class, seeing them still working on their tests, he looked at the next question.

 _"The End of The First Era is called?"_ The blonde chuckled, it was easy, _"The Kuro Era."_

The Kuro Era came after The Taiyo Era, an era where war became rampant once more. Where supposedly, people who could wield the elements were hunted down, exterminated, and made way for the path of technology.

Some of which still worked to this day, but it was arguably if people who wielded elements without the use of dust really existed. The tech that did exist today also had no way of working, even the best scientist in Remnant haven't been able to crack the codes inside of them.

Humming, going through a couple more questions, Naruto came to the end of the test which was a few more questions.

 _"Reportedly, what happened at the end of The Kuro Era, Circa 300 B.G, through 100 B.G?"_ Naruto looked at the question, humming as he jotted down his answer, _"The Stone Maps changed to show Pre-Modern Day Anima and Menagerie."_

In Vocational School, especially in Atlas, they were mostly taught events that were common knowledge and happened within the last hundred years. He found the whole idea of eras based on the old words for Sunrise, and Dark, fascinating.

Considering that the birthplace of humanity, perhaps even Faunus kind, was Mistral. Mistral is the oldest civilization on the world, at over two thousand years of culture. The first to use paper, the first to make beer, and perhaps the first to use farming tools.

A place he has never been, yet it had so much history, it made it a curiosity he often looked up in his spare time while doing Weiss's portrait.

 _"What era took place between 99 B.G and 0 B.G?"_ The next question asked Naruto, the blonde simply jotted down the answer that came to mind, _"The Hantei Era."_

 _"What happened during this era, according to sources in stonewall carvings and ancient murals found?"_ The next, and final fill in the blank question before he had a small five hundred word answer to the question below to write.

Naruto pondered this for a moment, then he answered, _"The First Crusade and Grimm Emergence."_

The final question came, the blonde rubbed his fox ears, nervous about it.

 _"Tell me, in five hundred words, where do you think the future of Remnant is going based on these cycles of peace and war?"_ The question was opinion based, but nonetheless, it was a measure for Oobleck to see if his class was taking their schooling seriously.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto's fox ears twitched as he began to write.

Yang slammed her pen down, groaning, "God, and I thought the finals were hard~"

Ruby was quick to follow her sister, bemoaning, "my brain~"

The heiress to The Schnee Dust Company hummed happily as she finished her exam, "I think you'll find that these answers are to the point, especially the last question."

"I," Blake held her head down, "am I burned out."

Team J.N.P.R was similar to Ruby, with Jaune biting the tip of a pencil while stuck on what to write for the last question, Pyrrha was already done, she had laid her head down to catch a few extra Z's, and Nora was…Nora.

She had long finished the test mentally, but physically, she was just stuck on the last few questions. Ren, meanwhile, like the gentlemen he was, was sitting there patiently, a confident smirk on his face. It may not be a perfect score, but it was a score that was going to be near perfect.

Nora groans, "this test is so hard."

"Haha…" Yang chuckled. "That's what she said."

"Ms. Xiao-Long, please refrain from talking to test takers, but you're free to talk amongst your peers that has completed their tests." Oobleck told her, he then went back to reading his paper.

Naruto finished his test, he looked right at Oobleck before closing his eyes and falling asleep while leaning back in his chair. Cardin and co. looked at him, glaring, Russel just finished his test and slammed his head against the desk.

"Gods, why, why did it have to be this hard…gah…" Russel complains as he laid there.

Cardin, for all intents and purposes, was writing his final answer, "just relax man…I'm pretty sure we got this."

"No, we don't man," Russel yelped as he felt Dove slap him on the back of his head, "what the hell man?!"

"Calm yourself, I'm pretty sure we did better than other teams earlier today. Besides," Dove looked up the back, "blondie better have got the message from this morning."

"Yeah, because if we flunk this week because of him, I'll have him scrubbing the bathroom every day until next week." Cardin told them all, "besides, I'm pretty sure we got this."

The bell rang, earning a groan from some students, while others bolted for the door.

* * *

Yawning, Yang stretched, "Bumblebee should be good to go in a couple more weeks, Rubes."

"All you do is spend time down there, why not take a day off from it, besides we got more tests later this week." Ruby reasons as she looked at Yang, who sighed.

She looked at her sister, smiling, "guess you're right."

Humming as they walked over toward table, sitting in front of Wiess and Blake, both looked at their sitting partner with a smile.

"So," Ruby looked at them, "think we did well?"

"Don't know," Weiss admitted as she took a sip of coffee, "can't say that for myself, I know I did perfectly."

Blake rolled her eyes, "and that ignorance is where you falter the most Weiss. Anyway, I think we all did okay, but the final question was interesting."

"I know right, I mean, how could we possibly answer that? It's totally opinion oriented, any answer barring something really ridiculous would probably count as a right answer. I mean seriously, it was almost like a pity question we had to work for." Yang argues as she stirred her noodles in a bowl.

Ruby shrugged, "meh, at least we tried our best."

"Our _best_ means nothing if it's a _failure_ Ruby, it's like failing a test in grade school, just because you "tried your best" doesn't mean you get handed the A," Weiss responded with cold logic, looking right at Ruby with annoyance.

The blonde bombshell looked at the frigid Schnee, "look, just back off…we're all tired."

"Yeah," Weiss rolled her eyes, "and if sleep is a measure of an effort than sleeping beauty over there is a prime example."

"So," Weiss winced when she heard his voice, "I'm sleeping beauty?"

Naruto stood behind her, she turned around, stunned at how silent he was. It scared her, she and her team all looked up at him. Team C.V.F.Y was heading his way as well; the table wasn't too full. A few upperclassmen sat the very opposite end.

"Oh, hey whiskers, what brings you over to our corner?" Yang questioned but had a smile, nonetheless.

Naruto rolls his eyes, taking a seat by Blake, "Coco gave me a choice. Either I came over here willingly, or she'd have Daichi drag me over here?"

All of them looked at each other, "who?"

The person who asked the question was Ruby, only to feel slap on her shoulder, it wasn't a painful slap more of it was one of letting her know she was among others. It came from none other than Coco herself, who took a seat right in front of them.

"That'd be me ladies, gotta say, digging that leather blondie." Coco greeted them, while complimenting Yang.

Yang laughed, "aww, thanks."

"Hey," the bonnet wearing brunette opened her soda, "it's not as good looking as your hair!"

The freshman blushed at the sophomore's comment, giggling slightly, "I try my best."

"I can tell," Coco then watched as Daichi took a seat by her, "hey Yats."

Yatsuhashi took a moment to drink his bottle of tea, sighing, "what's happening?"

"Well," she nudged her head at Naruto, "we got Mastermind over here."

"Mastermind?" Yang inquired before chuckling, "that's a cute little nickname."

Velvet groaned as she took a seat by Naruto, she had some carrot cake, she noted the stare Coco was giving her. She was supposed to be on a diet with her, but Oobleck's tests were always hard, and they had one for Port tomorrow.

The rabbit Faunus sighed, "I know real carrots good, carrot cake bad."

Naruto chuckles, knowing full well about the diet since Yats let him in on it. However, it wasn't like he had to try, his body just never seem to gain much weight. The blonde leans back, yawning as his fox ears stood straight up.

Coco watches him before watching Velvet shift around.

She then looked at Coco once the girl sighed, "where is it?"

"What," Coco tried to play innocent, "what are you on about?"

"I want to see the candy bar," Velvet glared at Coco, "show it."

"I have no such thing, don't shift this on me, ya hear!" Coco accuses as she pointed at Velvet.

Fox took a seat by Velvet, "she's got it in her cleavage, where she also hides a Star Kiss bar every other day."

There was a gasp from Velvet, and Daichi, who had been working their workout regiments. He glared at both of them, but then raised an eyebrow at Coco, who was by far the worst one. Velvet tried, while Coco had been cheating the diet since, more than likely, day one.

Blushing, Coco mumbled something before reaching down into her cleavage, pulling at a Star Kiss bar. The girl was blushing mad as everyone on her team eyed her with scrutiny, she then whimpered before yelling.

"Fine!" She threw the candy bar into the trash.

Yats chuckled, "I was going to tell you to eat it, and we'd start back on track tomorrow."

"W-wha-but-I-I…WHAT THE FUCK YATS?!" She screamed as pointed at him with flames in her eyes, "traitor!"

Velvet and Yats gave each other a high five, "booyah."

Laughing, Fox sips his tea, "remember Coco…I have a semblance that allows me to see beyond just basic sight."

Blushing even more, she wanted to slug Fox in his smug face, "and your point?"

"I could see where the candy bar was, the entire time, I just waited for you to make yourself a hypocrite before saying anything." The auburn haired teen finished his small saucer of tea before pushing some toward Coco, "Mistralian Wind?"

Rolling her eyes, "fine, but don't think you're off the hook mister."

"Trust me, Coco, no one has my eyes, but you," Fox smirked as he spoke, chuckling as he poured her some tea.

"Aww, thank you Fo-…fuck you." She glared at him, all the while he still had his smug look.

Naruto let out stifled laughter, making everyone turn to him, "so…is she hiding any more candy?"

"Methinks Coco has too much of an impression on you, Velvet," Fox turned to the bunny girl.

Daichi looked hurt now, he looked at Velvet, "Et Tu Velvet?!"

Fox saw Velvet heat up in his vision, he smirked a little, "since the candy bar is colder than the human or Faunus body, I can detect the deference. It may suck having a semblance you can't just simply turn off, but it has its benefits…especially when a certain Bunny hiding them on hemline string in her skirt."

"F-Fox?!" Velvet yelled, blushing mad.

"You could say that there is chocolate the rabbit hole, eh?" Yang suddenly joked, trying to see if she could catch something with it.

Everyone, but Fox and Naruto, glared at her. It was like seeing everyone turn into a giant, and her to shrink, save for a couple of people. She winced, bringing her hands up in defense.

Daichi sighed, "air bump?"

Yang held out her fist and Daichi lightly jabbed his toward hers, both blew each other's back with a sound effect. Ruby rubbed her temple, the annoyance of this situation was beyond what her mind could handle, especially with the revelations that older girls acted just like little girls.

The curly blonde then smirked, "did I ever mention that Ruby had to go on a diet one year because she ate way too many cookies. She tried the little cleavage trick, but since she didn't have any girls, the cookies actually dropped across the room floor."

Naruto chuckled, with everyone else giving light giggles.

"YANG!" Ruby screamed, blushing mad, "what about the time that chocolate bar melted during Halloween hmm?!"

The older sister of Ruby recoiled, she nervously laughed, "um…I…have no idea what you're talking about."

"Really," the silver eyes of Ruby cast a hard gaze on her sister, "how it ruined your bra and had to tell dad you broke your own diet?"

Yang slapped herself in the face, blushing slightly, "at least I had a general idea what to do, and nearly got away with it."

"Yeah," Ruby rolls her eyes, "wonder who taught me!"

"Ooh," Velvet mocks Yang a little, smirking.

The blonde sighed, "I hate all…of you right now, even you, little sister…even you."

"Hate is a pretty strong word, Yang." Blake points out as she reads her book.

The blonde sitting next to her looked at it, "latest edition has pictures."

She stopped, looking at him, "what?"

"The latest editions to Ninja of Love, Volume six, it has pictures in the form of Manga. I…have the copy of it…" Naruto mumbled, looking away, blushing slightly.

Blake's face lit up, "what do you want for it?"

"Nothing," Naruto looked back at her with a small smile, "it's for saving my life in the initiation, plus I don't read it anymore."

"So," Yang looked at Naruto, "you read smut too?"

Both Blake and Naruto blush, both then spoke in unison, "it is a book!"

Rolling her eyes, Yang smirked, "those ears should be devil horns."

The fellow blonde's eyes twitched, he looked right at her, "haha…very funny."

He smiled though, taking a deep breath, "I need to go use the bathroom before class…catch you guys later."

* * *

Naruto walked into the bathroom, retrieving a bottle out of his back pocket in his cargo pants, it was a medication that Peach wanted him to take daily, for six months. He looked at himself in the mirror, taking a deep breath when he felt something shift inside of him.

A cold chill ran across his body. His eyes widened a little bit, he felt his rate picking up. He began to push thoughts of way of the smiling and heard something in his head.

A dark chuckling?

 _Da thump…bah thump…da thump…bah thump._

Walking toward the door, he exited, only to nearly run into Oobleck.

"Ooh, terribly sorry, Mr. Namikaze. But it is quite good timing, I just want to say that you've impressed me." Oobleck held out his hand, making Naruto look bewildered.

"How did I do that?" Naruto inquired as he looked at the man. "I'm just doing what I'm supposed to be doing."

"Well I hope you keep it up," Oobleck praised.

Oobleck smiled, "despite sleeping all the time in my class, your little method is proving effective, you got a near perfect score."

"No way, seriously!" Naruto excitedly yells.

"Mmhmm, you've got an A on the test, but your final answer warrants me asking before grading it. You point out that the cycles should have no bearing on what we become next, what did you mean by that?" Oobleck inquired.

Naruto looked around, it was a bit awkward considering they were in the bathroom, "um…I just think that the sins of the past don't determine who we should be in the future."

"Like, one day, hopefully, the racism ends. Then again, it is impossible for all things to just fully stop. There will always be racists, but I'm talking systematic racism, where Faunus get treated like second-class citizens sometimes." Naruto points out and then sighed, "and that the older generation's faults shouldn't reflect on how a new generation will become."

"Counterculture," Oobleck nodded and hummed, "you've got a good head on your shoulders Mr. Namikaze. See to it that you keep it firmly there, our world needs more young people like you."

Oobleck went to walk further into the bathroom, only to stop when he heard Naruto speak up, "no you don't."

The man turned around, seeing Naruto there, he had his hanging low, "the world needs to end the Grimm first. Because, in a world with constant survival, warriors come first over philosophy."

"Mr. Namikaze, everything alright?" Oobleck asks as Naruto turned to him.

He took a deep breath, "Russel flunked the test, didn't he?"

"He did, is there something wrong?" Oobleck inquires as he looked at Naruto's eyes, they had a tinge of red on the outside of their blue irises.

Sighing, he spoke up, "does Ozpin ever make mistakes?"

"Yes," Oobleck answered. "The man will you tell he has made more mistakes than anyone else. I believe he exaggerates, but who is to know, is something wrong?"

"My team, well, Cardin and Russel. I overheard them last week saying if they failed the test, more specifically if I failed the test, they'd "teach me a lesson" and I just don't get why they hate me. I think they're racists, and well, I don't feel like they got my back." The blue-eyed teen admitted as he crossed his arms, leaning on the door.

Oobleck took a hard look at Naruto's eyes, he then spoke, "then prove them wrong."

"Every notation they have about a Faunus, prove them wrong about it, and if you get into a bad situation, don't be like them and run away. I think Ozpin put you there, seeing how you'd act, we will pull you out of the team if you start to feel really in danger. However, I want to point out something, people like Cardin often require his friends to stand behind him…make them back down and he'll follow." The instructor explained to Naruto, "and if you have to, bust them in the nose if they pull stuff."

"Are you really sanctioning me to use violence?" Naruto inquires, curious to the way the instructor explained in handling his situation.

"Heavens no," Oobleck walked over and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "I am sanctioning you to defend yourself, and any other friend that comes under their bullying."

"Get it now? The instructor questioned.

Naruto nodded, "yeah, I think I do…thank you.'

"Not a problem, now shoo, off with you. Get to class, otherwise Port will have you in detention this weekend!" The instructor ordered the student, the blonde nodded and ran out of the bathroom.

* * *

Lie Ren was sitting on his bed, watching Nora stare at the wall. She just sat there, staring right into the wall, looking at her reflection in a small mirror she had put up. Pyrrha went to say something, but Jaune put his hand up and shook his head. The orange haired girl just sat there, staring into the abyss of her eyes.

"Um Nora…do you want to talk about it?" Ren finally spoke up.

"Shh!" Nora hisses, "Renny…Nora is processing."

 _'_ _I think clocked out at class,'_ Ren thinks to himself.

"Pyrrha," Jaune looked at her. "How did you do?"

"I think I am about to join Nora," Pyrrha admitted. "I think that was the hardest test I've ever taken on history by a large margin."

"Ahh!" Nora wailed. "You guys aren't making it any better, if you think you screwed up, then I _know_ I screwed up!"

"That's not true," Ren points out as he smiled, "you could've gotten a perfect score."

"Oh Ren, you know better, I'm just dragging us down!" Nora wails as she looked at herself in the mirror, "why can't I be smart like you guys huh?!"

"Okay, first off, you're not the smartest." Jaune suddenly voices his opinion and then smiled, "but you are the strongest!"

"R-really?" Nora turns to Jaune.

"Yeah, totally, who else was going to literally smash a Deathstalker!" Pyrrha joins in.

Ren nods, "exactly, you aren't dragging us down. If anything, we wouldn't had made it out without your help, so you're actually uplifting us."

Nora suddenly tackles Ren, earning a yelp from the magenta eyed teen, "oh Renny you know just what to say!"

"Anything…for…the…queen…of…our…group." Ren struggles as he was being crushed by Nora's hug.

Jaune and Pyrrha looked at one another, much to Ren's anger, they shook their heads. Abandoning him to the fate of being lovingly crushed by his best friend, that was until Nora suddenly rushed and grab them both.

"You guys are the greatest friends EVER!" Nora screams joyously as she crushes them both in a mighty hug.

Ren looks at both Jaune and Pyrrha who struggle to breath, _'not so funny now isn't it!'_

* * *

Ruby was slowly eating a chocolate chip cookie, she seemed out of it. The girl sneezed while using a tissue wipe off the desk she was sitting at. Blake was reading her novella, she hummed as she looked at the pictures.

Naruto had taste.

Yang was playing a game on her scroll, "hey, Ruby you good?"

"Perfectly fine, why wouldn't I be fine, I mean uh…I'm just…bummed out." Ruby admits as she lowered her head.

"Aww, what's up baby sis?" Yang asks as she leaned her head off the bed to look at her sister upside down.

"I'm just scared I flunked the test," Ruby replied. "I mean, I think I did okay."

"Ah, c'mon sis, its one test. Besides this is some advanced stuff and we did an entire study group the past three days to learn it. By the way you got a zit on the back of your neck." Yang points out, watching Ruby move her hands toward it.

She gives minor yelp as she pops it and uses a tissue to wipe up any blood, "I hate these darn hormones!"

"It just means you're becoming a woman Ruby." Blake offered up. "I mean, to be fair you look womanlier than Ice Queen."

"Speaking of Ice Queen," Yang looked around the room. "Where is she?"

"Don't know," Blake flips a page in her book, "don't care."

Ruby sighs, "well she is still our teammate, and we kind of made up for the other day. She isn't so bad, I kind of feel bad for her, must be heard to constantly live to expectation."

"True," Yang admitted. "I couldn't imagine always being judged and having everything planned out for me even I didn't want it."

"Are arranged marriages still a thing?" Ruby questioned Blake.

Blake hummed, thinking about it, "I don't know honestly. I doubt it, it was feudal thing that probably ended like slavery and stuff like that."

"Oh, that's good," Ruby sighs as she quit sitting at the desk, "I think I'll head down to the training robot."

"Okay sis, be careful, love ya!" Yang states before watching the girl walking out of the room.

* * *

Naruto was breathing hard as sweat rolled off him, he charged and slashes at the training robot. The robot was in the form of Qrow Brawen, its mighty replica of Qrow's sword clashes against his chokuto.

The blonde leans back avoiding a slash before kicking the sword to the side before thrusting his blade at the Qrow Clone. It barely missed as it sidestepped him before crashing its elbow down into him, Naruto grunts before rolling forward to avoid the stab.

Reversing his grip on his chokuto Naruto stood up before blocking several slashes, sparks flying off the blades as he moved back. The robot was pressing him, but Naruto grunts and slashes upward. The robot jumped back to avoid the wind slash from Red Flower before darting around the room.

Naruto moved his fox ears to keep track of its movement when it got to his blind side, the blonde dodged when it tried to slice him from behind by jumping forward. The blonde formed Red Flower into its bow mode before launching several shots in rapid succession. They scattered, not really aim to be accurate, but he watches as the robot was forced to move and dodge them.

He used the distract to charge and turn Red Flower back into its sword mode before thrusting it at the robot. Only for the robot to suddenly move its body out of the way before smacking Naruto with the flat end of the blade and sending him into the wall of the room.

The blonde gasps as the sword sinks into him, the nanites flowing over his body, and earning the robot its third kill against him. The teen sighed watching as it returned to its position. He tried to fight Peach's version again and lost. He moved on to taking on Oobleck's version, and he nearly won, but Qrow's version thoroughly kicked him in the teeth.

Struggling to stand up, bruises forming across his body, Naruto's aura flickered around his body before it slowly started to regain its strength. Kakashi entered the room, having his eyes closed, he looked very pleased with himself.

"So," Kakashi started. "You fought against top class Huntsman in the form of a robot, and you got your teeth kicked in…what've we learn?"

"Not a thing," Naruto replied as he felt his wounds starting to heal. "I just want to constantly improve myself."

"Yes," Kakashi agreed. "But if your break yourself how will you improve yourself?"

"Well, points for being hard headed, you could probably smash diamond with that goddamn thing." Kakashi taps on Naruto's head.

"But," Kakashi smiled under his mask, "you have a goodnight."

"I was actually thinking of going in a fourth." Naruto tells Kakashi while the rubbing the back of his head.

"Well," Kakashi looked over toward Ruby who was falling asleep on a weight bench.

"Oh…" Naruto breathed. "Sorry Ruby."

"You're cool," Ruby mumbled. "Just need a moment."

The girl yawns as she gets up, walking over toward the room, "so Mr. Mask man want to show me how to do this?"

"Certainly Ms. Rose, follow me." Kakashi greets her with a smile before leading her into the robotic training room.

* * *

Another late night, Naruto was working on Weiss's painting, he was doing the final touches to it. Sighing, he looked at it, he made it beautiful. Winter had been owed this, and he hated taking the money but made sure to make a note to pay her back.

Stretching, Naruto waited for his Darkness or Rage to make a comment, and then there was nothing…nothing at all. No yelling, no insults being hurled at his work, at himself. The blonde walked over toward his mother's portrait, lighting an incense stick in a small little sand pot under it.

Today marks the anniversary of his mother's death, kneeling down on a small mat he placed, Naruto took a deep breath and bowed three times on it.

Bowing the last time, he stayed there, "where the sunflowers grow tall, I will look for the single rose that stands out. I am of dust, from which I was made, to which I shall return. Soon, perhaps not very soon, but I give'th this prayer in honor of my lost loved ones."

"I ask that you watch over me still, that you continue to seek me out in times of my desperate hours. I am just a wanderer, among an endless sea of time, and as I go to war become my shield." Naruto raised up, taking a deep breath as he crossed over his heart, "and help me survive."

Getting up, Naruto placed two fingers on his lips before placing them over his mother's heart, "everything I accomplish is for you, for you to be proud of me."

Naruto closed his eyes, "I wish I never argued with you that week."

"I have so many regrets, I feel like that since you raised me all alone, I made your life miserable, and that I was just a spoiled brat. I was a spoiled brat," Naruto held his head low as several tears dropped from them, "and I made you miserable because I always asked about dad."

"I should've never asked about him so many times, I should've just let sleeping dogs lie. I'm sorry if it was the stress from me that caused an aneurysm, but I promise that I'll always keep my promise to you. To become a Huntsman, because you wanted me to follow my dreams, and I will always follow them." Naruto removed his hand, and chokes out, "I love you."

The blonde took a deep breath, "goodnight mom, I have to make a call in the morning."


	13. Episode Thirteen: Team Outting

Yang had been curious, nearly three weeks in Beacon, and finally, the curiosity got the better of her, since her subject involved what she came to nickname The Artist. While she managed to get the other parts added onto Bumblebee ahead of schedule, she noticed that throughout the rest of yesterday Naruto acted distant despite joining them at lunch.

He was an enigma.

So, slowly exiting her storage locker, she snuck over toward his to see if he was talking or anything.

 _"I should've never asked about him so many times,"_ she heard from inside, pressing her ear against the door she could hear him speak, _"I should've just let sleeping dogs lie."_

Was he talking to someone, if that was so, knowing him he would have his scroll on speaker mode while he probably worked on whatever he had inside of there? She winced when the sound of someone crying filled.

 _"I'm sorry if it was the stress from me that caused an aneurysm,"_ that line surprised her, she looked at the door, stunned.

She pressed her ear back against it, _"but I promise that I'll always keep my promise to you."_

 _"To become a Huntsman, because you wanted me to follow my dreams, and I will always follow them."_ Yang continued to hear him cry out, before hearing him choke, _"I love you."_

The lilac eyed girl heard stepping, _"goodnight mom, I have to make a call in the morning."_

She backed away, quick enough to make it to her door, just in time to get in position as if she was walking out. Naruto's door open, revealing the messy haired blonde, his fox ears were drooped by him as he pocketed his scroll.

Looking over at her, "hey…"

"Hi…" she nervously waved, "you alright there?"

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine, why wouldn't I be?" Naruto questioned and actually smiled, "hey you got some oil on your face."

"Yeah, working on my BB, so…um…" she couldn't come up with anything until taking a deep breath, "are you done with your current project?"

"Yeah…took a moment," Naruto rubbed the back of his head, there was white paint of his sleeve, "well the weekend begins tomorrow, and I need sleep."

"Yeah," she nodded and spoke up, but then she looked at him, "hey…whiskers."

He stopped, "what is it?"

"You'd tell someone if you were…you know…sad right?" She inquires, making him eye her, it made Yang wince slightly.

Had he caught on?

"Yeah," he lied, and she knew it, "of course I would."

Watching as he walked toward the staircase exit, she just stood there, _'why lie about it?'_

* * *

Javier was currently taking a long drag of a joint, he had his curly hair behind his head in a manbun as he maintained his music shop. He hummed to a song he had playing over his radio and was currently drifting between reality and sweet paradise.

The young man was leaning in his chair, "come on in brother."

"Dang, you still can tell when I come in?" Naruto inquires as he rubbed the back of his head, carrying his flamingo guitar.

"Bro…no offense…I'm currently drifting." Javier leans forward as he speaks, nearly falling out of his seat.

Naruto chuckles, "so where are you right now?"

"Everywhere like Schrödinger's kitty cat." Javier comments with a smirk.

"Yeah you're high as a kite, I guess I can come back another time." Naruto says as he moved toward the door.

"Nah bro, you cool, wanna toke up?" Javier offers up as he held his joint, which still had smoke rolling off it.

"I can't," Naruto said while rubbing the back of his head. "I really don't do well…you know…high."

"Ah yeah, I remember, you had a big freak out. Shit, it was kind of hilarious watching your wide eyed ass saying he saw the dark one." The music store owner laughs, "and you ate like two large pizzas afterward."

"Yeah," Naruto snickered at the memory.

* * *

 _"_ _Ahh," Naruto screams as he looked at the corner, "what in the hell is that thing?!"_

 _"_ _What bro…what are talking about hehehe," Javier giggles as he takes a toke out of his bong._

 _"_ _The fucking tentacles man, what the actual fucking fuckity fuck!" Naruto yells as he retreats to the other corner of the room._

 _"_ _Dude," Javier laughed. "You're having a bad trip."_

 _"_ _You think?!" Naruto roars as he hissed at the thing moving toward him._

 _His ears laid back against his head, like an animal's would be threatened. Javier heard a knock at his apartment door, walking over to it. A Papa Vale's pizza delivery driver held several boxes of cheesy and meaty pies._

 _"_ _Here you go," the delivery driver said before turning to Naruto. "Is he okay?"_

 _"_ _Ah yeah bro, he's tripping like a clumsy dancer." Javier laughs as he takes the pies, "here's a twenty lien tip…you didn't see anything."_

 _"_ _Nope," The driver said while pocketing the money. "Not a damn thing."_

 _Javier closes the door, "yo, scaredy boy. Pizza!"_

 _The blonde's nose twitched at the smell, he quickly moved and grabbed the pizzas that were his. He kept staring at the corner, his eyes dilated to the point his blue irises were completely dominated by his pupils._

 _Javier chuckled, "this is some good_ shit…ahh…"

* * *

"You down those pizzas in like five minutes, I swore you almost busted a gut." He then leans on his desk.

Naruto smiles, "yeah, its one of my better memories."

"Ah, shit, well how about any girls. Taking the passionate waves yet, are swooning any particulars, showing them that you care?" Javier inquires as he leaned back in his chair.

"Well…" Naruto thought about it, "I've met some girls there. However, a lot of them of more friend than prospect."

"Ah, a _lot_ of them, but not _all_?" Javier teases.

The blonde rolled his eyes, "I need to get going Javier, Paloma will be mad if I'm late for her class."

"Si," Javier smiled. "Oi, by the way, turn my shop to close…I'm baked out my gourd right now."

"How you stay in business is shocking," Naruto admitted with a small laugh.

"Pfft," Javier looks at the blonde, "I got a farm in the back."

* * *

Jaune yawns as he leaned back on his bed post, he looked at the pictures on his scroll. Of his family back home, his oldest sister was married to a lovely young lady. The two were looking to adopt at the moment, he knew they'd end up with a toddler.

He wanted to be there to introduce himself, perhaps he could on his Winter Holiday. The Arc's only son scrolled through several photographs. Sighing, he didn't mean to abruptly leave home, but he couldn't waste the chance try at Beacon.

 _'_ _I feel like a fraud…I am a fraud,'_ the teen mused. _'I just wanted to make you guys proud, no one is our family has been a Huntsman for a while…and I just wanted to be the first one to continue it.'_

 _'_ _I passed my entrance exam, but to be fair it was thanks to Pyrrha…I owe her my life.'_ Jaune smiles as he took a deep breath.

The blonde got up and went to get some food, he looked at the picture on his scroll, _'I'll see you guys soon.'_

* * *

Yang was hanging out with her team, still thinking about last night's encounter and revelation about Naruto, she looked at her team, "so ladies want to hit the town?"

"Might as well," Blake put her book up, "I need to visit the bookstore anyway."

"Then let us go, enjoy what Vale has to offer, three bachelorettes on the prowl~" Yang sensually growls, only to receive a look from Ruby, "what?"

"Uh hmm, don't you mean four bachelorettes?" Ruby growled her question, pouting like a small child, which frankly…wasn't too far off.

All three girls looked at Ruby, Weiss was the first to snicker, "Yang?"

"No," the blonde simply stated, "you can't come with us."

"B-but I am your team lead!" Ruby proclaimed as pouted even more, "I mean, c'mon what do you plan on doing?"

Blake looked at Yang, "getting wasted?"

"Getting wasted," Yang affirmed her partner, "and since you're not seventeen you can't come."

The rose grumbled, "I am not a kid anymore, I can have pop there."

Weiss sighed, "you better let her come, otherwise we'll never hear the end of it."

"What," Yang then sighs, "fine…but you cannot drink alcohol!"

The girl smiled, jumping up with her arms up, "Yay!"

The lilac eyes of Yang roll with annoyance, "and I now have to chaperone, dad, is going to kill me."

The raven-haired teen got up from her bed, dropping down to the floor, stretching in her tank top. Yawning, she felt several pops in her shoulders. It made her eye twitch slightly, they were audible enough to make Weiss even wince.

The white-haired heiress sighed, getting up, "I'm going to shower first."

"Fine by me," Blake says as she went over to the dresser to get some clothing out.

The heiress sighed, "by the way, Ruby, if you start whining, we _will_ send you home."

"Yang," Ruby looked up at her sister, seeking assurance of no such thing.

Yang sighs, she crossed her arms, "look, Ruby, I don't usually agree with Weiss…but she has a point. You're not able to party-party with us, but we can make sure you have a good time."

The girl lowered her head, "okay…"

The door to the bathroom closed, obviously, Weiss had entered, and she started singing as the girls heard the shower turn on. Followed by a sharp yelp, until a contented sigh followed, Beacon's showers had an obvious moment of cold water before piping hot water came out.

"I should've taken the shower first," Blake groans, bemoaning her loss at the first go.

"You can have it next, after all, if we do end up hooking up with good guys, you'll need some flexibility~" Yang signs as she made Blake blush, gripping the girl's shoulder and massaging them, making the hazel-eyed youth moan out a little.

"Ooh, like that, call it The Xiao-Long parlor trick," the blonde laughed.

The raven-haired teen laughs, "well, if being a Huntress doesn't work out for you…"

The blonde smacked her lightly on the back of the head, "don't push me, you're not my type anyway."

"Oh, now my feelings are hurt Yang," Blake giggled as her eyes rolled and looked at her friend.

Ruby then piped up, smiling, "we should ask dates!"

"No!" All three of her older underlings yelled at once.

"Aww, really, that sucks…" Ruby grumbles while lowering her head.

Weiss came out of the shower, a towel around her, "ah that was refreshing."

"I smell strawberry…wait…you used my shampoo!" Yang points a finger at Weiss while accusing her.

The girl shrugged, "and?"

"That's my shampoo, I use it to keep my hair like it is, you ass!" Yang yells as her eyes turn red.

"Oh boy…" Ruby ran toward the door, "Blake run!"

"What wh-ow!" Blake screams as Yang's gripped her shoulder, "Yang-Yang-Yang!"

"Shut it, Blake, look here rich girl, buy some shampoo for yourself don't be using my stuff!" Yang yells at Wiess, who merely rolled her eyes.

She looked at Yang, "and I thought we were friends."

The girl gripped Blake's shoulder harder, making the girl wince, lowering her head and painful defeat.

"At least the air bubbles are gone if my shoulder isn't broken, ah!" Blake yelps as Yang let's go, allowing her to move it about, "huh, actually it's a lot better."

The blonde walked up to the heiress holding out her hand, "money, hand now, please."

Weiss raised her eye up, looking at Yang, "your serious right now."

"Very," Yang growls, "very serious."

The girl rolled her eyes, getting a stack of bills out, handing Yang ten liens worth. The blonde pocketed the money, her red eyes turning back to her lilac, making everyone calm down. Though Ruby still was outside of the door, ready to close it if something just dropped.

Yang was a notoriously short fused girl!

* * *

Snow slowly fell as the girls walked, all of them wearing jackets, save for Weiss who opted to wear her dress she nicknamed Snowflake. The group was a mismatch of clothing, with Blake wearing a kimono top with a thick pair of pants to keep warm, she hated the cold. Ruby was just wearing a Pumpkin Pete hoodie, and black sweatpants.

Yang was wearing a long-sleeve T-shirt with a rock band on the back while wearing blue jeans and a brown jacket she normally wore when riding Bumblebee on cold days. The town was abuzz, The Middle Sector, the closest to Beacon, was homed to Artisans and Craftsmen.

Many of the factories in The Lower Sector, nearest to the walls and barricades, were the local nightclubs and bars.

However, currently, the girls were looking to go to a more upscale club later in the night. The club, The Happening, was as upscale they could afford. The club itself wasn't exclusive, sold pop, and was mostly a young man or woman's paradise, though underage patrons had to wear a special bracelet that was given to everyone to make sure they couldn't buy alcohol.

It wasn't that Yang didn't trust Ruby, the girl was just impressionable and unknown to the charms of men.

Yang may never have been very close to guys, but she knew from her age what many guys wanted, and it usually ended up boiling down to just some cheap bed in a motel room for a few hours.

"Ooh, there is a dance studio!" Ruby pointed out as she looked at it, "I've always wanted to learn how to do the tango."

Yang rolled her eyes, "of course you do, what do you guys think?"

"I say let's go check it out, I mean, we do have a dance at the end of the year. Besides," Blake shrugs as she questions the group, "what could possibly be the harm?"

* * *

The girls walked into the door, seeing a sign, _"class in session. Prospective students, please be silent when entering, love, Paloma Estilo."_

"That means no gasping if we recognize anyone," Weiss states to Ruby, slowly opening the door, walking inside first followed by the other girls.

They weren't the only ones interested in joining a class, and Blake noticed a beautiful painting of the famed Dragon Prince, a storybook character she had read growing up. They were currently doing Salsa music, from Blake could understand.

It was a staple in Vale, and Menagerie had a sect of dancers that practiced very styles simply to bring the world into the continent. The girls' eyes lingered on the crowd, finding someone with blonde hair and fox ears, then Ruby's eyes widened as she saw the person he was dancing with.

The sign outside was that instructor's, and she had a picture, and she was currently dancing with Naruto Namikaze!

As soon as the girls noticed, the others followed suit, with Weiss's face being a mix of utter shock and agape.

"What…the…" Yang mumbles as she looked at Naruto spin Paloma around him, swinging hips to the music, she then reversed the spin with them pulling apart to only their fingers touched.

She noted something, Naruto had his eyes closed.

"Hey," a guy called out to them in a whisper, "you need to sit down!"

"Right, right, sorry," Ruby spoke low, to keep her voice down.

The girls sat down away from the dance area but then watched with focused eyes as the two continued dancing, Blake then noted something about Naruto's foot movements, in unarmed combat training he always fought like he was dancing.

Fought like he was dancing…that's because he was!

 _'_ _No wonder he's skilled enough to weave through several punches and kicks without having to block, he's incorporated dancing into his fighting. Which means, anytime I've seen his feet stay planted to the ground, he's been literally dancing in a fight.'_ Blake realized, only to blush when she saw their lips get close only to pull away, "this…is…very charged."

"You're telling me," Yang murmurs lowly as she watched the two spin around each other, "it is almost like they're wanting it later."

She got her scroll out secretly, recording the entire thing.

The music then stops, most of the people that had been dancing together shook hands, some hugged, and the obviously older and younger couples shared a kiss. However, the girls watched as Naruto merely bowed with the dance instructor.

His eyes opened, revealing impassioned blues that matched Paloma's hair, she smiled and patted his shoulder.

"You know Naruto, when you went and joined Beacon was I kind of afraid I'd lose my best student. Then again, if anything, you're about my equal nowadays." Paloma states to Naruto as she stretched and walked over to get some water for the both of them, "want lemon flavor or strawberry?"

"Strawberry!" Naruto tells her as he smiled, rubbing the back of his head, "think I should open my own school then?"

"Please," the woman looked at him, "muscle on my business and I'll kick your butt."

Naruto unscrewed the bottlecap, glancing toward the door, he took a swig of it before coming across four familiar faces. The blonde stopped, looking at Yang, who had him on a scroll. The girl chuckled nervously, waving at him all the same.

The blonde sighed, "well, I need to go Paloma."

"Take care of yourself sugar, looks like I got new students," she says while walking over to meet the girls.

The blonde blue eyed teen just shrugs, "maybe, I seriously doubt it."

"Hey~" Ruby whined a little, "we're not spying on you, we were actually curious about attending a dance class or two."

Blake nodded, "she isn't wrong, besides I kind of suggested it."

"So," Naruto looks toward Yang, "you done with the recording?"

"Definitely, and this is going on ValeTube, hashtag: Casanova." Yang was about to post the video until stopping, "you aren't mad, are you?"

"Nah," Naruto assures her as he took a seat by them, "I've been reflecting a lot since getting to Beacon, I know I'm a good dancer."

"I noticed something your fighting style. I've noted that your dancing is similar." Blake points out as she looked toward Naruto.

The blonde nodded, smirking slightly, "my dancing influences my fighting. I may be strong, but strength is nothing without having the ability to use it properly."

"Well said, but where did you learn to fight?" Blake continued to question, curiosity getting the better of her, ironically.

The blonde sighs, "Atlas has one hell of a boxing class, and I took kickboxing for two years in the prep academy."

The heiress blanched, "wait, you were in that prep academy in Atlas! Why are you here then, Atlas is considered top tier in the schools, just right behind Beacon, and you probably wouldn't have to pay for the thing since you'd be a member of the military."

"An officer in fact," Blake points out, "and they make a steady paycheck."

"Well, that's a long story, and I don't like opening old wounds. Besides, I've always wanted to be in Beacon, it was my dream since I was a kid…where are you all going?" Naruto inquires, knowing he had to go back for a meeting with Peach.

"The club, we're going to get wasted~" Yang sensually speaks with a roll of her tongue.

The blonde looked at Ruby, "and you're taking your little sister?"

"She's our DD, well, our cab getter if things get too out of hand, you should come ya know. I mean, all you do is go down in the storage to…pray." Yang quickly corrects herself, she was about to say paint, but she remembered that Naruto didn't want anyone knowing.

Weiss spoke up, and asked him a question, "so you're a religious person?"

"I am," he plays with the lie, "and I pray up to five hours a day to give me calm, collectiveness."

"Ah, I see, well hope it works out for you. We should really get going, Blake, did you want to sign yourself up for a class?" Weiss inquires only to see the girl holding a scroll, with all four of their names on it.

Ruby nodded, "and I as your team lead, approve of this!"

"I'm iffy, but I'll go with it." Yang agrees as she looked at Weiss, who just smacked her own face.

"The tally is in, three to one, the winner is dance class Weiss. Ooh, I know, you and Ruby could dance together~" Yang got her scroll out, smiling.

The heiress pinched her nose, all of them too busy to notice Naruto get up and walk out, "I hate you…all of you."

* * *

"So, isn't it weird that we're dancing together like this?" Blake inquiries from Yang as they slowed dance to waltzing music.

The curly blonde laughed, "not really, what's the matter? Cold feet~"

"Very funny Yang don't quit your day job." The raven-haired youth retorts.

"Why you gotta be so _Walful,_ Blake." Yang puns again, making Blake want to smack her head against a wall.

"Come on Blake, give it a little _shake_ , eh?" Yang laughs as she wiggled a little despite waltzing.

The girl just sighed, "whatever Yang, besides seems like your sister and Weiss are fighting to see who leads."

"Indeed," Yang looked over to see Ruby and Weiss tugging against each other's grip.

Weiss glared at Ruby, "I'm leading you dolt!"

"No, as team lead, I reserve the right to lead in a dance!" Ruby calls Weiss out, making the girl growl, as she felt the little girl pull her.

Ruby was surprisingly strong for her small, petite, form. Probably because Yang gave her weight training, strength was key, but with Ruby's speed, she could probably hit like a train if the circumstances were right.

Weiss would hate to be on the receiving end of a Yang-Ruby haymaker, she sighed and finally relented, Ruby giggled as she took charge.

"I've never danced with anyone before, well, besides my dad and sister. My mom," Ruby lowered her head, "taught me how to waltz when I was really little."

"Well, she'd be proud, for a little girl, your strong." Weiss comments, but then watched as Ruby scrunched her face before hugging her, "um okay?"

"Sorry, sorry, just…" Ruby wipes her eyes off, "I just really miss her."

The world hit Weiss like a truck, the breaking of glass radiated her mind, _"oh wow…um…"_

"Hey," Weiss looked down at Ruby, "I'm sorry for what I said a week ago…about you being my team lead and all."

"You've already apologized," Ruby replies with a small smile, "why again?"

"I just," she let go of one of Ruby's hands, "never realized how much it truly meant to you."

Yang and Blake looked at each other, "aww, they grow up so fast."

"Which one," Yang inquires, "because Weiss is just as much a child."

Blake and Yang high-fived each other, but then they noticed something, well Blake did, "what happened to Naruto?"

"Probably went off somewhere, besides, it is weird he doesn't stick around his team much," Yang told Blake as they continued to dance, only for an airhorn to sound.

Which strangely made the raven-haired girl wince.

"Alright class, that's it for the night, you all go have fun," Paloma tells the class, she watches as the people begin to walk out of the door.

However, she then stopped the four girls, "hey do you go to school with Naruto?"

"Um yeah, why?" Ruby asks as she watches the instructor get a wad of cash from her pocket, "I shortchanged him by accident."

"Shortchanged him…oh my God, is he…" Blake chuckles a little bit, "so there was a reason for the passionate dancing."

Yang looked at Blake, biting her lip a little, "um Blake…"

"What, oh dear Gods, no-no-no! Naruto is just a very passionate person, the money is for the painting he did of The Dragon Prince, I accidentally shortchanged him a couple hundred liens and I forgot to give it to him." Paloma explains to them, shoving the bills to Ruby, "he's a really sweet friend and I hate shortchanging someone."

Weiss then stopped her, looking at the painting, "wait Naruto did that?"

"Yes," Paloma replies with a sense of confusion, "why?"

Everyone turned to Yang, Weiss then said, "oh no reason."

Yang threw her hands up, she saw her teams' anger, "what? He told me not to say anything, and I agreed."

"Well, apparently Naruto is a man of many talents, an artisan, a dancer. For a Faunus, I mean, he must have nobility." Weiss thinks aloud, looking at her team, "but I have never heard of The Namikaze name in Atlas."

"Perhaps he's just talented," Yang points out, "not everyone good has to come from a rich background Weiss."

"I'm shocked and appalled you think so low of me Yang," Weiss states in a manner of feigning hurt feelings, "however the painting is usually an acquired skill."

Paloma looked at the girls, pinching her nose, "I just screwed up something didn't I?"

"No, well yeah, but not you. I mean seriously, why be embarrassed by a quality work like that. If I was Naruto, I'd plaster my name on it, I wouldn't have to work another day in my life if I quickly got more work due to exposure." Weiss walked over to it, looking at as she speaks, "the artistry is almost lifelike."

"It's because Naruto has an eidetic memory," Paloma points out, "which is why he picks up on different dances quickly."

The girls looked at each other, and suddenly Sleeping Beauty became a bit of celebrity in their eyes, albeit an unknown celebrity. Yang finally just sighed, crossing her arms.

"Look, I think there's a reason that he doesn't want to be known, he told me it is high stress and such." Yang tells the girls, looking at them, "look…let's just forget this ever happened and keep it a secret."

Paloma nodded, "I agree, let's just say this was a misunderstanding."

"Wait, wait, hold on. Why should he keep this talent a secret, I mean, look at his skillset? I am telling you, and I will _discretely_ look into it, that guy is a noble if there ever was one!" Weiss declares as she looked at the girls, "and trust me when I say I don't care he's Faunus."

"Why would it even matter, I mean seriously, Atlas has a bad reputation when it comes to treating Faunus people. Naruto probably left there because he had a shitty time, and we should honor his wish to not intrude on his life, I mean for fuck sake!" Yang yells her eyes turning red, "ooh he can paint, ooh he can dance, so let's just see what he's about? I mean c'mon, Ruby, you can't be agreeing to this."

"If I said it was out of fear," Ruby points out, weakly raising her hand, "does that count?"

"Yes/no!" Weiss and Yang state at the same time, both then glare at each other.

"Look, ladies, let's just drop it. I mean, there's a reason why he doesn't tell anyone, I agree with the blondie there…nobody should intrude on Naruto's personal life. I mean, what if someone went and read your diary?" Paloma inquired about them, looking at them all, "see?"

Weiss relented, she sighed, "good point."

* * *

A transport aircraft crashes in the forest surrounding Mountain Glenn, a group of tall figures emerges from the fire, a barrier of green energy emanating from one with bird wings on his back. He was slightly shorter than the rest of them.

"Kars," a man walked out of the forest holding a rocket launcher, "my little brother."

"Esidisi, Wamuu, and even Santana. If dear mother was alive this would be a proud family reunion, but alas we have executed the perfect escape plan. The next step is revenge against that masked bastard Kakashi, and he'll never know what hits him." Kars gripped his fists into a ball, "and I'll make sure to leave the blood of those he protects."

Santana, the tall man holding the rocket launcher, tosses the weapon to the ground. He kneels down in front of Kars, bowing down to his little half-brother, smiling.

"So, shall we go tonight?" Santana inquires.

The taller, more muscular of the bunch, Wamuu looked at them, "no."

"Oh great, let me guess, Wamuu is still about the whole warrior thing?" Santana inquires, looking at them all, "I mean for real."

"I am hungry, ambush later, for now, we eat and gather strength for the fight ahead. I would love to get the first crack at Kakashi, for when all four of us are together, nothing can stop us." Wamuu says while walking into the woods.

Kars looked at them, "you know he's going to bring back a bear, right?"

"I don't care, man, I'm frigging starving, I'll eat crickets at this point!" Esidisi yelled, only to hear a low groan.

They all turned to see a lone security guard crawling from the wreckage, "ooh, can someone please give me some medical…attention…oh no…"

The Pillar Men Gang looked at the man, with Esidisi chuckled, "we can help you."

"No," the guard looked at them, one picked up a knife, "NOOO!"


	14. Episode Fourteen: My Friend

Waking up, it used to be a regret, but since the medicine, Naruto found that he couldn't hear the Rage and Darkness talking too much. He could hear murmurs, but that was about it, it was like waking up on an eternal sunny day.

He had his medicine in his dresser drawer, he took a pill as he woke up like he was supposed to.

Dry swallowing, he walked into the bathroom to shower, Winter loved Weiss's portrait and she had texted him yesterday when it had got delivered. Currently, the one month Naruto has been having has been eventful, Coco's team were getting back from a training mission today as well.

Humming, he stretched, walking into the bathroom and looking at his hair.

 _'_ _I need to comb it ever once in a while,'_ Naruto got a comb from a drawer, _'should I give it a buzz cut?'_

Taking a moment, he shrugs and combed it down. Only for Russel to enter the bathroom, he had a couple towels, he glared at Naruto.

"Move it loser," Russel states as he brushes against Naruto, "get out."

The blonde looked at the mohawk teen, he then sighed, "I was here first, Thrush."

"Don't give a shit, you flunked us on the test!" Russel accuses, not knowing the true results of the tests since they didn't get published until the end of the month.

Naruto gripped his fists, he grumbles as he walked out of the bathroom, he walked over to his drawer and getting some clothes out. His school uniform, he put it on, scratching his backside as he yawns. Getting his scroll, he looked at it, there were no calls from Mirabella.

Apparently, this was the slower times of the year, but it was fine, it meant Naruto had more time do freelance projects again instead of hired projects. The Holidays of Winter as they were called, first came Good Tidings, a holiday that was meant to celebrate the end of The Great War, where families came together.

Then there was another holiday in December, known as The Thankful Day, where people were supposed to give gifts and be thankful for all they had.

All of them were holidays Naruto had celebrated in some form or way, with his supposed friends in Atlas, but now he figured that at the very least he could find a way to celebrate it now?

Funny thing about the medicine, it worked!

The results would be posted after Good Tidings, thankfully, it would clear Naruto's name. The only one of his team to get a perfect score, while Russel failed and everyone else was lackluster. Cardin was getting ready, brushing against Naruto as he walked out of the door with Dove.

Getting his scroll, Naruto checked his account balance, finding that he had a good surplus of cash on him.

Things were looking up!

Humming as he put his headphones in his human ears, he walked behind Cardin and Dove, intent on getting breakfast. However, he stopped and just looked out of the nearest window. He found that snow was falling down, now sticking to the ground instead of melting.

Painting the Emerald Forest white.

* * *

 _Atlas's environment was always set just above freezing, or just totally below it, Naruto had on two layers of everything. The thirteen-year-old was walking around the school he'd hope to be in for four years, he had passed his test to get into the school._

 _Currently, the blonde Fox Faunus was just admiring the very thing he rarely ever saw._

 _Snow._

 _He loved snow, everything about it, it was pure, and it was soft. Holding his tongue out, like he seen other kids do, he managed to catch a single flake on it. He hummed a hymn as he continued to explore the school grounds, despite being slightly cold._

 _A Nor'easter was expected to blow into Atlas over the next week, dropping a good eight feet of extra snow, but every day in Atlas had a little bit of snow. Which was why most of the buildings were designed to have a burn dust current run through them, to melt snow off their roofs before the weight became too much to bear._

 _In fact, Atlas City was the first city to incorporate dust into their highways to keep snow off, but it didn't work once the temperature dropped below negative forty degrees, currently, it was just five degrees, so it wouldn't be a problem._

 _Naruto knew this simply because he looked at many of the books in a local library, he loved to read, and helped since he eidetic memory._

 _"Where the snow falls, upon a desert sand, I shall see you again…" Naruto sings as he held up a hand to another snowflake, catching it in his palm, "things all begin anew."_

 _"Flowers bloom, trees blossom, and I rest and rise from an earthly tomb. Give me comfort, as I endure an endless slumber, awaiting spring and summer." Naruto continues as he walks around the school grounds, only to see a girl with a whip-like sword slip on some ice._

 _"Damn it!" She screams, landing on her buttocks._

 _He didn't want to approach her, too scared of being yelled at._

 _He walks away from the scene, not knowing that she'd turn out to be later on one of his greatest friends._

* * *

Naruto was sitting in class, looking at Professor Port, and he was listening intently to the professor like everyone else suffered from either boredom or trying to stay awake. Port stopped and looked at the class as his scroll buzzed.

"Excuse me, I must take this, go for The Huntsman's Huntsman." Port answers the scroll with a jovial tune, only to stop, "wait you're serious Kakashi?"

Port hummed, "I see, well I guess our more recent graduates will be on the Hunt for those rapscallions"

The old man sighed, hanging up the line, "students I have a special announcement. You see, an elusive three-man gang of belligerents known as The Pillar Men Gang have recently escaped custody."

"So," Port announces as he tapped his scroll a few times, "I'm going to send you a picture of them all. You are to do your part and be on the lookout for them, they're wanted for murder and escaping federal custody."

"Oi, isn't that the one with Kars, a fake teacher here tried to steal something from the school?" A student calls out his question.

Port nodded, "the very same."

"Now students while I did say be on the lookout for them it is imperative that you do _not_ engage them. They are highly skilled, highly experienced, and will most certainly beat you in a fight. They don't play games like we do in sparring, they play for keeps, so do your part and stay alive." Port finishes his announcement, "your wellbeing is the top priority of our school."

He coughed, "Alright class, back to the matter at hand. Anyway, can anyone tell me why it is generally better to engage Grimm at a range?"

"Because," everyone looked at Ruby, "you could get swarmed if you aren't careful."

"That is correct Ms. Rose, very good, what is the best way to take on a Deathstalker, however?" Port questions the girl, she looked nervous a little, but then smiled.

She answered, "flip it on its back!"

"Ah yes, very good, you see Grimm interestingly share a common weakness. Most Grimm have a soft spot on their belly, where no bone armor grows, but don't be mistaken. The older a Grimm is, the more armor they'll eventually get. Alpha Grimm, especially, is dangerous. They're smart enough to realize their weakness and will exploit any you give them." Port lectures the class he walked across the class's viewpoint, hands behind his back.

"Now, Alphas are distinguishing due to their extra bone armor, something around the chest and the vital spot we talked about. Some Alphas can actually fuse body parts from other Grimm, becoming different Grimm entirely, Wendigo Grimm, for example, can fuse Beowulf arms into them and become twice a deadly, four-armed, and meaner than a wasp in a jar." Port laughs a little bit, "but some of the most dangerous Grimm are more exotic."

"The Spiderlike Widow, The Foxlike Night Slasher, indeed another is a legendary Grimm called a Nuckelavee, are examples of Grimm's ability to fuse with each other. However, fusion is not a common trait and occurrence and usually takes time to do so. Currently, sadly, the method of which this happens is not known to us." Port then holds up a hand with his finger up, "but! I do say, and I declare, that if you're diligent you can be the ones to reveal that mystery!"

Slowly, he lowered his hand down, "ah, Ms. Scarlatina! Back from a successful training mission with Ms. Peach?"

"Yeah, my team is currently in their classes, I was just hoping to catch the last bit of yours before the test." Velvet walked into the class, walking over and taking a seat by Naruto.

"Job comes first young lady, but you haven't missed much, nothing that your friends can't tell you during the day. Anyway, the class will be dismissed in a few minutes for lunch, I hope you all take notes because we have a surprise test tomorrow!" Port announces, making the class groan.

Naruto was the first to leave Port's class, he told Velvet that he had to go and get something from his room, while Velvet was walking into the cafeteria. She hummed, her teammate had decided to take the day off and all the while she was hoping to finally have a more personal meal with Naruto.

She didn't like him so much as a possible love interest, but more of a brotherly figure, he reminded her of her little brother Peter. She humming as she listened to a playlist on her scroll, sitting at a table far away from the others, knowing that Naruto was probably not going to sit with other people.

She was about to get up to get something extra, but Cardin and co. suddenly stepped in front of her. Blocking her from getting up.

"So," Cardin holds his hand out, "fraternizing with my teammate?"

Velvet sighed, rolling her eyes and took his hand before shaking, "yes…"

"You know, it kind of makes sense, Fox and Rabbit. Say, Cardin, you think her ears are real?" Russel inquires, making Velvet wince, only for her to yelp when Cardin grabs them.

He laughed, "well look at that boys, they're really real! Holy crap and they're so soft!"

"Ow, quit it, get off!" Velvet yelps as he tugs them, "get off!"

Cardin laughed, "bet that's what you say to my teammate at night, while he's pulling your bunny ears."

"What a freak," Russel comments as he watches, "hey Card where is our flunky?"

A tall, dark blue haired teen accompanied them, "hey Card, isn't that the loser walking in now?"

Cardin let's go of Velvet ear, "yeah, better let this little rabbit go."

As soon as he lets go of Velvet, however, the bunny girl ends up punching him square in the nose, "that's for invading my personal space you twit!"

She gets a reply with a backhand to face by an enraged Cardin, "stupid Faunus bitch!"

"Cardin!" Dove screams, a little too late.

Naruto hopped over Velvet delivering a power kick to Cardin's face that knocks him into the table, breaking his nose easily, he lands in front of Velvet and turns to her.

"Vel," Naruto looks like a bruise starts to form, "you alright?"

"Yeah," she says as she rubs the afflicted area, "but what are you doing they're your team?!"

Naruto bit his lip, "well, you're my friend."

"And," Naruto's eyes turn red as he turns to Cardin and his crew of belligerent friends, "I've got to express some well-earned rage."

"Please," Russel rolls his eyes as he spoke, "Sky let's get 'em!"

The dark blue haired teen smirked, "hell yeah."

Naruto brought his hands up dodging a punch from Russel as he hopped up from the table, he turned on his heel, blocking with his forearm as Sky tried to kick him from behind. He leaned back and dodged another punch by Russel.

Catching their fists in his hands he then twists their arms while moving forward to get behind them before jumping and delivering a reverse drop kick. The two stumble forward as Naruto landed on his hands and spun on them to use his foreleg to block a kick from Sky.

The blonde growls as he launches himself up and wraps his thighs around Sky's face before using his momentum to flip over and crash the teen into the hard ground. Russel roars out as he charges Naruto, holding a tray in his hands.

The blonde Fox Faunus jabs the tray into Russel's face, breaking his nose.

Shifting his feet around to where he could turn opposite of their dominant hands and legs, moving away from Velvet so she wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. He dodged another kick by Sky, leaning back when Russel tried to jab at him.

Finding an opening, Naruto used his forearm to block another kick from Sky before spinning on his heel and throwing his elbow into Russel's face. The stunned mohawk bearer was then struck with a couple hard jabs to face by Naruto.

Knocking him back, planting him on his ass, while the taller Sky was blocked once again, this time by Naruto's foreleg as the blonde felt he was going for a low kick. It felt natural to him, hand to hand, he felt continued to block Sky, when suddenly Dove came running at his side.

"What the?!" Naruto wasn't prepared for Dove using his semblance, which sent him across the cafeteria, smashing into a wall.

Kakashi came running in, only to watch Naruto get off the impression from the wall, spitting a wad of blood from his mouth. He stopped Glynda, looking at the blonde as he drops back into a fighting stance Cardin joins back in the fight along with the rest of his friends.

"We have to stop this fight," Glynda says, "why are you blocking me?"

Kakashi looked at the stance, _'is…is it possible?'_

She went to move her hand and use her semblance until Kakashi grabbed it, "I want to see how this plays out…"

"Then you fix the damages," Glynda retorts as she huffed and stood back, waiting for anything to become serious enough to warrant a stoppage.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto assumed a stance that he felt was right, he then watched as Dove hopped over a table, "you should just stick with your crew idiot!"

"I choose my friend," Naruto screams as he spoke, "over a bunch of assholes!"

Dove roars as he hopped up, intent to deliver a superman punch, only for Naruto to dodge to the side and hop up. He didn't have time to react when the blonde kicked him in the back, sending him across and into a vending machine.

A can of soda rolled out, hitting him in the head, while Naruto moved to the sides to dodge both Sky and Russel before leaning back and avoiding a haymaker by Cardin. He continued to go backward, eliciting a few chants from the crowd of teens that had got up and gathered around.

Naruto blocks all of three them as they tried hitting him all at once, The Fox Faunus's eyes began to shift. His pupils slowly became more oval like, suddenly a wave of red quickly washed over him a delivered a massive punch that sent Sky sprawling backward into a nearby table.

Moving faster than before Naruto throws an elbow as he roars out. It hits Cardin hard enough to splatter his nose, blood tripped down from the broken nostrils of the rust haired bully. Naruto punches and kicks Cardin hard enough to make gasp and send him backward.

Naruto's senses blared out warnings and turned on his heel in time to catch a punch thrown by Dove. The Fox Faunus growls as he held back the force of the semblance enhanced punch before bashing his own head into Dove.

Dove, stunned, couldn't do anything as Naruto grapples and he throws him into Cardin who tried to start running back over toward them. Spitting a wad of blood from his mouth Naruto assumed a fighting stance as Cardin charged at him.

Flipping onto his hands Naruto then delivers two quick kicks to at Cardin, who managed to block them, but was surprised when then saw Naruto twist and spin on the floor. Sweep kicking, Naruto managed to catch Cardin by surprise and knock him to the floor.

Rolling away, getting up on his feet in one motion, Naruto reassumed the stance and blocked a combined kick and punch from Dove and Sky. He spun on his heel, going backward, he blocked them again with his forearms and forelegs.

Breathing in deeply the blonde hopped back, and when they tried charging at him again, he dodged Russel before slamming his elbow into Sky's face, breaking the older teens nose, the blonde then growled as Cardin came at his side.

He barely blocked, but this left him wide open to Dove again, who got back up. However, unlike last time, Naruto grabbed Cardin and pushes him into Dove just as the teen punches at Naruto. Switching his dominant side, the fox Faunus hopped side to side on his feet.

Cardin and Dove shove each other off as Sky and Russel came running past, they stopped and waited as the two others of their little crew got up to their sides. Hissing, Sky straightens his nose back out from where it was broken, letting his aura heal it.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto stopped hopping about and as they all started laughing at him.

Dove was the first to speak up, "you got guts fox, but you should've just let what happen to that rabbit girl go."

"Yeah," Sky laughs cracks his knuckles, "because now if we get you, we're going to maul ya!"

Spitting to one side, Cardin smirked, "I mean look at you all alone out here…should've just followed the program. Humans on top, Faunus on the bottom."

"Are you done getting your shit together," Naruto growls as he looked at them, "because if not I'm getting bored with you talking."

"What did you say," Cardin screams as he ran toward Naruto, "you little shit?!"

Naruto suddenly charges the team leader couldn't react in time as the blonde dodged a punch and slammed a fist gut. Making him retch forward to where the blonde follows up with a punch to the face that knocks him back.

Dove was next, jumping up to deliver a devastating superman punch, while Naruto stood there. However, everyone gasps as Naruto merely caught the hand, his red eyes blazing to life as he gripped Dove's arm and threw him over his shoulder and toward the crowd.

"Whoa!" Yang barely dodges Dove as the older teen was sent onto a table, getting covered in food.

 ** _"Break…them…"_** Naruto felt his rage speak, pushing past his medication, **_"break them all!"_**

Kakashi was just standing there as Ozpin came, "what is the situation?"

"Just a blonde standing up for himself, hold back a minute," Kakashi told the headmaster and smiled under his mask.

He observed Naruto dodge Sky and Russel more fluently before, _'there's no mistaking it, that is a very ugly looking. However, that is Toad Kata if I ever saw it…the same as…'_

Naruto growls as he goes on the offensive, punching rapidly against Russel and Sky, they couldn't block him as he caught both of them in the face with a jab from both his hands at the same time. Hopping up, turning to the side, Naruto delivers a cheating gainer into their faces as spun twice in the air. Landing on his hands, he rolled forward kicked Cardin in his lower abdomen.

The rust haired teen keeled over, clutching the afflicted error, eliciting a loud chorus from the crowd as he rolled backward and stood up his hands to block Sky's kick with his foreleg. Hopping from his hands, Naruto angled himself to where he grips both of Sky's shoulder before roaring and throwing him into the wall near the vending machines.

Russel was the last the one standing, he backed up as Naruto approached him, swatting away any attempted punch. The blonde backed the mohawk bearer into the wall before glaring right into his eyes, Russel swore those eyes were those of a monster of pure rage.

Shaking, Russel held his hands up, "I'm sorry!"

Naruto brought his mouth near Russel's ear, "say it to her."

"Velvet, bunny girl!" Russel ran over and got to his knees in front of Velvet, "please I'm sorry! Call him off, please, please!"

"Naruto," Velvet called out to the blonde as she looked down at Russel, "stop, they're beaten enough."

He took a deep breath, looking down at them, slowly he walked away from them. Only for Sky to growl, he looked right Naruto who had his backed turned and grabbed a small plastic knife off the ground and broke it into a shiv.

Hardening it with aura, Sky screams at Naruto as he ran forward, only Yang to suddenly jump in and punch right in his jaw and send him into a wall. Knocking him out cold this time, she rubbed her hand, looking at Naruto who turned to her.

"What," Yang holds her hands up, "it was a straight up fight prior to that."

Naruto sighed, "I think I'm getting kicked out anyway…"

* * *

"You're not getting kicked out," Ozpin simply states while sitting in his chair, "but I'll be the first to admit that you displayed an impressive skill set with hand to hand combat."

"Thanks…I guess, I just…lose myself in a fight when I get focused." Naruto admits as he rubbed the back of his head, "what about Cardin and them?"

"Sky will be kicked out, trying to assault a student with a deadly weapon, the shiv. You, well, you aren't going to be punished for defending a fellow student. However, I must call into question whether your placement in C.R.D.N was an error on my part, or if I simply need to reshuffle the leadership role." Ozpin reads through his file, noting that the near month Naruto's been here, he's been improving rapidly mental wise.

He sighed, "tell me Naruto, what makes you strong? Why get so angry that when someone gets hurt, you'd just throw yourself into the front, no matter the danger, I get it if you are seeking self-harm…but I don't really think you want to die."

He lowered his head, he then spoke, "Velvet and her friends have been kindest people to me to date…ever since Ilia…"

"I…I'd go through hell and back if I needed too, because they're my friends, at least that's what I want to believe." Naruto tells Ozpin, rubbing his bruised hand, "the medicine started to falter when I got angry…I heard…my Rage."

Ozpin nodded, "you must use sensibility in the face of extreme anger, however, do not ever be ashamed for standing up for someone you care for."

The blonde nods, sighing as he leaned back in the chair, "I'm a coward…I should've just stayed in Atlas…I mean I ran away from the pain."

"It is not cowardly to look at options, Atlas in my honest opinion would've been the worst choice for you. Too many biased students, and as you said, your former friends didn't stick around. Tell me, with all that hatred bottled inside of you, and all of that rage…why haven't lost yourself?" Ozpin inquires, interested to see what drives Naruto forward now that they had a true moment alone together.

Naruto spoke up, "a promise, I always keep my promises. No matter what, I promised my mother that I'd become a Huntsman, and I'll claw my way there if I have too."

A tear went down Naruto's face, he lowered his head, "I just…I just want to be normal. I mean, I don't want to take medicine every day, so I can smile."

"Well," Ozpin held his hand out, as he bids Naruto farewell, "that's all for today Mr. Namikaze…by the way…you've got some people outside waiting for you."

"Huh?" Naruto turned around at the elevator and walked toward it, opening the door he was pulled into a group hug by Coco and her team.

"Holy frigging crap man, you got busted a little on your arm, Velvet showed me a recording of the fight kicked their asses bro!" Yats held his hand up, he then lowered it, "up middle hahaha."

The blonde looked at them all, he then took a deep breath before smiling and giving Yatsuhashi a high five…well mid five considering how tall the young man was. Coco rubbed Naruto's head, smiling, then bumped fists with him.

Fox just glared at him, crossing his arms, "nothing from me until I beat you in a game…"

"Aww, leave it to Fox to be the sore loser," Yats states with a sigh.

Velvet chuckled as she waved at Ozpin, pressing the button to make the elevator go down, "that's fine. Besides, he's one of us now."

"Coco's crew got a plus one, well, sort of! Anyway, Naruto, how's the hand?" Yats inquires as he looked at the blonde's hand.

Naruto just stood there, but then he smiles, "it's fine…"

He rubbed the back of his head, wearing a bright smile, "my friend."


	15. Episode Fifteen: Sharing Is Caring!

Naruto quickly dodged to left as Jaune tried to stab him with his sword. The two blondes clashed their blades together, with Jaune rarely using his shield. The two attempted to slash at one another, but like always Jaune came up short. Corcea Mors was not as long as Red Flower. The family sword of Arc barely missed Naruto, but to be fair Naruto wasn't really fighting anywhere near serious.

"Jaune you've got to use your shield better," Pyrrha called out to her team lead. "Use your shield, throw him off balance!"

Naruto stepped back and dodged another stab, the Fox Faunus stepped forward and thrusts his blade to where the very tip rested on his neck. Glynda called the match right there, despite having yellow in his aura, Jaune technically received a fatal hit.

He sighs as he lowered his head, looking at Naruto's sword resting on his neck, the younger blonde removes it off his neck. Naruto smiled, holding his hand, but noticed that Jaune just seemed to be staring down at his feet.

"Hey, Jaune, cheer up a little would ya!" Naruto patted the teen's shoulder, "you got me a good workout in."

"Yeah, gees, thanks…" Jaune got off the stage.

"Winner, Naruto Namikaze." Glynda declares with very little enthusiasm.

Naruto hopped off the stage, sitting with Team C.V.F.Y and R.W.B.Y. Jaune was sitting by Pyrrha who scoffed at her attempts to comfort him. The teen lowered his head and sighed. The girl smiled.

"It is okay Jaune, we'll train some more tonight." Pyrrha comforts him.

The blue eyed teen sighed, "yeah…sure…"

"As you know The Vytal Festival will be held in Vale next fall. It is very vital that you keep your grades up, but also important to train for the upcoming festival. Students from across the globe will come in order to test their metal against ours." Glynda began to lecture.

She smiled, "and as a proud teacher, I would love to see you all do well. But do not forget to find balance, because with balance comes the ability to further improve yourself."

"Yes mam." The student body all said at once.

"Good," Glynda smiled. "Class dismissed."

* * *

Jaune was on the roof of Beacon Academy, following Pyrrha's instructions, slashing at the winds near him. Pyrrha slashed her gladius at him, which he clashed his sword against. However, she frowned as he attempted to strike her while tried to attack him on her return stroke.

She stopped, her sword mere inches from his neck, "Jaune…you've got to use your shield."

"I know, I just keep forgetting…" Jaune lowered his head, "Pyrrha…I…"

"Jaune, its okay, you're learning. Perhaps you were so good at attack you never stopped to think about defense when you were in vocational school." Pyrrha offers up, though Jaune frowned.

"Pyrrha, I'm one big lie!" He tossed his sword and shield down.

"I didn't do anything of that, my transcripts are fake!" He confesses with tears flowing from his eyes, "and I am in over my head."

"Wait…you faked your transcripts?!" Pyrrha asks him, stunned at the confession.

"Yes," Jaune admitted as he lowered his head. "I never went to vocational school, I never trained professionally before coming here. I'm terrible because I never learned how to fight, all I'm doing here is being fake and holding everyone back."

"Jaune…" Pyrrha tried to speak, only for Jaune to continue.

"My entire family came from a line of Huntsmen, no one is a Huntsmen in my family anymore. I thought I could be like my great grandfather, who was a famous and looked up to by my family. I thought I could keep moving forward and try to train. My parents didn't want me to take this path and tried all the time to talk me out of it…I ran away so I could just chase this dream." Jaune continued to confess.

He then scrunched his face up, "but all it has turned into was a nightmare!"

"Why?" Pyrrha asked him. "You passed your initiation."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed but then frowned. "But I'm going to get you all killed because I am nowhere near anyone's level. Ruby beats me, Cardin beats me, everyone beats me…why did I ever try to challenge Naruto…"

"So," Pyrrha consoled him. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Confess to Ozpin…make sure you get a good team lead." Jaune admits as he lowered his head, "I don't want your blood on my hands, or Nora's…or Ren…"

"So, you're going to quit?" Pyrrha asks him, "just like that?"

"I don't want too," Jaune admitted. "But I have too, if I don't…"

"Then you train harder!" Pyrrha raised her voice at him.

Jaune looked stunned, "what?"

"You heard me, you train harder, you fight harder. You don't give up, you don't give in, and if you stay here, I _promise_ I'll always stand by you. You're my friend," Pyrrha tells him while holding out his sword, "please…don't give up."

Jaune felt tears welling up in his eyes, "you are believing in me?"

"Yes." Pyrrha states without care, "I believe you can do it."

Jaune took a deep breath and then took his sword from Pyrrha's hand, "alright Pyrrha…lets do this from the top."

"Right!" Pyrrha cheerfully readied herself before tossing his shield toward him with her semblance.

Jaune and Pyrrha charged at one another, unaware that Cardin had been hiding just inside of the roof access. Oh, how Jaune would pay for this, and how he'd get the little blonde wrapped around his finger.

If he couldn't get the Fox Faunus, he'd just move on to the next person.

* * *

Team C.R.D.N was sitting in Ozpin's office, the rest of them had bandages on their faces due to the bruising and such from Rapier Wasps that Nora had managed to turn against Team C.R.D.N. Though, Naruto was technically an indirect causality since everyone knew better than to take him for a bully, the man looked at them, Ozpin took a sip of hot cocoa and sighed as he looked at the files.

"I've mused over this the last couple of weeks since your fight in the cafeteria," Ozpin says as he twiddled his thumbs, "and I've concluded that the behavior you have displayed within my walls is unacceptable."

"Cardin," the man looked at the teen, "you are by far the worse of the bunch, always inciting racial attacks on Faunus students. You even stoop as low as to bully a boy whose far from home, and I'm not talking about Naruto, Jaune Arc."

"Please, spare me, the kid's a whelp. He doesn't belong here, and as for this asshole sitting next to us, he should've just known we were playing." Cardin went to pat Naruto's back only for the teen to move away

Ozpin looked at him, "yes, up until Sky Lark decided to try and shank young Namikaze here a and then your Rapier Wasp incident today."

"Look, Headmaster, we've got no control over each other. I swear," Dove held his hands up, "we didn't know he'd fly off the edge like that, and then this involving the wasps."

The Headmaster of Beacon took a very long, very deep breath, "too bad I don't take lightly threats against a student's wellbeing while behind my walls."

The man reached into his desk, pulling out three folders, "now I give you a choice."

"The first choice, you relinquish your role as leader Cardin Winchester, and I turn it over to Naruto Namikaze. After all, he seems to be the only one of your team that takes this place seriously. The second choice, you can argue, and I kick you out. Finally, there's the third choice, you can transfer. No questions ask, you just get out of my school." Ozpin tells them their options, he sips his cocoa, "now which of these options sound good to you?"

Cardin didn't think, letting his mouth talk for him, "this is bullshit! Why should I lower my head to a Faunus, especially since Jauney Boy faked his transcripts to get into Beacon!"

Everyone, but Ozpin gasped, even Naruto. However, the Headmaster remained with a stalwart face, he sips his drink with an honest smile on his face. Chuckling a little bit, shaking his head, then looked at Cardin as he held up his file.

"I already know," Ozpin admits as he put Cardin's file near the shredder, "you really think I didn't? Come now, child, I've been this planet a lot longer than all of you combined…no one gets in unless I want them in."

He then put the file in the shredder and said, "as for you, what's the new term for it? Hmm…oh! That's correct, you can G.T.F.O, sound like your fancy?"

"M-my family will have their lawyers ready to go, this is discrimination, you can't talk to us like this!" Cardin screams as he looked at Ozpin, "we earned our spot here, we worked hard to be here!"

"Yes, you did!" Ozpin slams his hand on his desk, getting up, "but you threw it all away. You would make a very poor Huntsman, go and learn how to tolerate, at the very least, people different from you. You, constantly badgering Faunus students, and your juniors is no longer being ignored because of a little money."

The Headmaster moved his cocoa aside, "and you have made your choice."

The rust-haired teen sniffled a little bit, he gripped his hands as he turned and walked toward the elevator. The blonde looked at him, watching as he went down the elevator. Taking a deep breath, Naruto squeezes his hands.

The blonde sighed, "I'm probably going to catch hell for this, but…"

Naruto stands up, "if you get rid of Cardin, you've gotta get rid of me too."

Ozpin looked at the blonde, the child must've grown a second head, or truly had an alternate personality. He stopped drinking his cocoa as the other students looked at Naruto, Dove was stunned beyond words, while Russel just scoffed.

"Mr. Namikaze, you do realize that Cardin is a very violent youth, and has done harm to you? Are you feeling pressured into defending him, by these two other miscreants?" Ozpin inquiries from Naruto, who just shook his head.

The blonde spoke up, "I am under no obligation to defend Cardin, I am not defending him. I am stating that he is my teammate, and if it is to be, my subordinate. Wayward or not, everyone is capable of learning from mistakes and moving forward from them."

"All I'm saying," Naruto states as he looks at the other two, "the past is yesterday, the present is today, and the future is tomorrow."

The blonde smiled a little, "and my mom taught me when I was a young kid that if you squashed a flower yesterday, plant a new one today, so that it may bloom tomorrow."

Russel scoffed, but then thought about, "can we still be called Cardinal?"

"Depends," Naruto heard Ozpin say as they turned toward him, "how willing are you to change?"

Dove looked down, he thought about what he did and then took a deep breath, "I'll change because I don't want to become my father. Look, I know it sounds messed up, but I don't hate Naruto. I just, well, don't have a lot of love for…his kind."

The young man rubs the back of his head, "my father was Faunus, but since I was born a human from my human mother, he assumed she cheated on him…he hit me when I was little kid until she got the police involved one day."

"Ah, well, see we're making progress. You know, Naruto could possibly know someone if you want to talk about it, anger is a very toxic thing." Ozpin then took a deep breath, "but if I get one more incident out of anyone…it'll be the final curtain call for your time here."

Dove nodded, "I understand, Headmaster."

Russel gets up, "well, I better go stop Cardin before he boards a Bullhead."

As everyone walked toward the door, Ozpin then called out to a certain blonde, "Naruto…you stay here."

The blonde turned on his heel, watching as the others entered the elevator, taking a ride down. The teen looked at Ozpin, the man took another cup out and filled it with cocoa from his specially made thermos.

He held it up toward Naruto, a small smile graced his lips, "you should drink something hot because you seem cold."

The blonde nods, taking the cup and sipping on it as he took a seat, "You're disappointed, are you?"

"Not exactly, just a little out of character for you to defend them. Tell me," Ozpin pauses to take a sip from his mug, "what's in your head?"

The blonde sighed, "the right thing…keep them from doing harm outside ya know."

"I see you got the mind of a teacher," Ozpin took a moment and looked at Naruto, "tell me exactly what you expect from forcing me to stay my hand?"

"I'm not staying your hand," Naruto took a deep breath, "I'm merely a believer in second chances."

Ozpin nods, "kind of hypocritical of you, since you don't give yourself a second chance."

"I beg your pardon?" Naruto put the mug down, questioning Ozpin.

The man looked at Naruto, "you have so much potential, yet you slam yourself down for a failure over a thousand successes."

"You blame yourself, for the team being so obtuse in behavior because you by chance joined in a team of pro-human compatriots. You invaded their space in your mind, but couldn't back off, that's why you sneak off every night into the storage to do your paintings…" Ozpin looked at Naruto, "and it is also why you doubt your own ability to properly lead."

He grabs Naruto's file, putting it on the desk, "you turned down the leadership training in Atlas, citing you didn't feel capable. You know who gave the personal recommendation?"

"Winter…" Naruto mumbles as he finished his cocoa, "she saw potential in me?"

"More than that, she saw someone who was willing to push against the world, as long as they had someone to protect. I read your file hundreds of times now, and it seems there is a consensus, you're at your happiest so long as someone is with you but fall off when you are alone and must feel that way because you don't want to hurt again." Ozpin then looks Naruto in the eye, "but my child, you've got to realize that like the flowers your mother so lovingly used as an example…petals must flow with the way the wind takes them."

"Then why must the wind drop a petal into a sea of fire, why must a petal suffer the gnawing of hungry insects, and why must a petal journey alone?" Naruto inquires as he looked at the desk, "I'm happy because I think I have friends…but…"

The image of Flynt and Katt pop into his head, along with Ilia, "but you know how that story goes. They either find another calling, or they act like you don't exist."

"Want a piece of advice, coming straight from the man that runs the best Huntsman Academy in the world?" Ozpin asks as he looked at the clock, it was almost time for classes to be over.

"Is it going to be a speech?" Naruto inquires, though it was a bit of snark, with a small smile in it.

Ozpin chuckled, then looked serious, "no. I'm getting old, young man, quite frankly, I'm wasting what little voice I have left on speeches."

Naruto and he looked at one another, that's when they both just snickered before laughing, the elevator dinged, and both turned to see Kakashi entering. The man sighs, looking at them, but Ozpin could tell from knowing the man for so long that he was smiling under his mask.

Kakashi looked at them, "am I about to interrupt something?"

"Heavens no," Ozpin got up with Naruto and the blonde's hand, "Mr. Namikaze was just leaving."

Naruto stops, turning to Ozpin, "what was the piece of advice?"

"Life is strange," Ozpin tells him as he looked into the ocean blues, "but that of which is worth exploring is always worth the risk of heartache."

* * *

 _"Mama, what are you doing?"_

 _A redheaded woman wearing a gardening dress sat up from where she was leaning down on her knee, she wiped the sweat off her brow, her fox ears wiggled a little bit from the high pitched chirp of her son. She turned her head, looking at the blonde haired boy with long fox ears that were orange, eyes full of happiness and life._

 _"Oh honey, I'm just gardening, want to help momma out?" The mother inquires as her child moved closer to her._

 _The child giggled, "sure momma, what do I need to do?"_

 _She giggled, reaching over and taking a weed into her hand, "just pull these out. None of them have the pretty little flowers on them."_

 _"O-okay," the blonde child reached over and started to rapidly block weeds out until he accidentally grabbed a rose and got pricked by its thorn._

 _The child teared up a little bit as a little bit of blood trickled down his hand, "ouch!"_

 _The woman sighs, taking her son's hand into hers, she smiled as she leaned down and kissed the wound._

 _"There, there, momma can make it a little better." The child looked up at his mother, giggling as the wound closed quickly._

 _She looked at where Naruto placed his foot, "looks like you stepped on a rose there."_

 _"Huh," Naruto looks down, "I'm sorry momma!"_

 _"Don't be sorry Naruto," she lovingly rubbed his hand as she brought him to kneel beside her, grabbing a seed packet in front of her, "merely move forward from it. If you stump on a flower today, then plant a new one for tomorrow."_

 _She dug a small hole with her finger, taking a seed out of the packet and placing it in the hole, she then covered it back up._

 _Slowly reaching over toward him, she wrapped her arm around him, smiling as he snuggled against her a little bit._

 _She hummed, as she gathered her breath, she started to sing a lullaby._

 _"Down by the forest, down by the forest, there lays foxtail abound.  
Down by the river, oh, down by the river, there lays a royal flower.  
Near the road, lays a field of velvet, where kitsune chuckle.  
I love you, my little kit, don't worry and just sit with me as the sun goes down.  
Slowly, oh slowly, my child we shall grow too.  
Like sunflowers, we bloom in summer and wither away in winter.  
But, we shall always, bloom once more.  
Down by the forest, down by the forest, daddy sits upon a tree stump.  
Down by the river, oh, down by the river, momma lays in the water.  
Upstream, through time, their child lays down in a bed made of flowers.  
I love you, my child, this hour is ours.  
Sleep, tightly, in my arms today.  
For tomorrow, you will be the petal that floats away."_

* * *

Naruto took a deep breath as he looked at everyone in the room, "finally he wakes up."

Cardin scoffed, looking at the blonde, "why did you even bother?"

"Because hate you or not, I don't think you should be kicked out." Naruto tells Cardin as he leaned against the wall as he raised up, "besides, I think somewhere deep down you are a kind person."

The rust haired teen rolls his eyes, Russel had tried to calm down Cardin down, availing the teen's anger a little. However, Cardin still seethed at the prospect at being led by a Faunus, a creature he felt that was beneath him in many ways.

Many of those ways taught by his own family.

The blonde rolled his eyes, sighing as he sat up in his bed, "look all I'm saying is that you could at least tone the asshole down. I mean, really, I just saved _our_ team."

" _Our_ team, funny, are you part of us when you sleep all damn day?!" Cardin yells as he looked Naruto in the eye, "you're no different from any lazy ass critter!"

Naruto growled, "because I didn't want to bother with your negativity toward me, by the way, I don't just sleep because I'm lazy you redhead wannabe!"

"The fuck you just call me?!" Cardin screams as he stands up.

"Redhead wannabe, what are you going to do about it?!" Naruto retorts as he balled his fists up.

Dove got in between them, "look, guys, look…between Cardin picking on Jaune and you whooping our asses we should just calm down."

"For real, I mean, Naruto does have a good point…I mean, shit he didn't have to stick his neck out for us. Where I'm from, sticking your neck out for someone is a sign of kindness and you owe said person a favor. So," Dove pushes Cardin and Naruto back, "as of right now I agree that Naruto should lead us."

Throwing his hands up, Cardin screamed out, "are you kidding me?!"

"Russel?!" Cardin turns to his friend, his longtime buddy, "back me up here!"

Russel sighed, "honestly man, what could it hurt…I mean if he screws up it just puts you back into good graces."

Humming, Naruto nodded his head, "he's got a point."

Crossing his arms, the blonde mused a little bit before speaking up, "I'm not saying let's be friends, but I am saying that we bury the hatchet at least for now."

"Oh yeah, whatever, idiot." Cardin rolls his eyes as he spoke, "probably in my back."

A heavy sigh escaped Naruto's mouth, he looked at Cardin, "you know for all the times you're being a dick…I don't hate you."

"In fact, Cardin, I slightly envy you, you get a family to spend the holidays within the next few weeks. Me, I get myself, and that's it." Naruto tells Cardin, making everyone turn to him, "just like every holiday for the last few years…"

The Fox Faunus looked at Dove, "so, about your dad, I can slightly relate."

"My father," Naruto took a deep breath, "my father pretty much walked out on me and my mother when was a just a small kid. I can't honestly remember his name, so when I dream, I dream that his name is my name. Because, you know, a name to put the face too."

"Sometimes I think he's here and there, but either too scared to confront me, or too selfish to move past his own needs and take responsibility. Sometimes I dream of him as this human, who just walked out on my mother because she was a Faunus, other nights I have dreams of him fighting Grimm and…losing." Naruto smiles a little bit, it was a smile with a heavy layer of sadness, "but I told myself that I'd become a Huntsman one day."

Naruto then spoke out from his heart, "because I wanted to make my mother proud, even if she isn't physically here to see it anymore."

The entire room was stunned silent, Cardin couldn't even say anything against it, Russel was just flabbergasted at the prospect that someone who seemed to smile when around other people had such a terrible go at life. Dove, Dove meanwhile turned his head, he wouldn't let the blonde see his tears.

"So," Cardin looks at Naruto, "you're an orphan?"

"Yeah, been that way for nearly half my life. I had abusive foster parents I ran away from when I was ten, heading into Atlas where I joined into that academy. I don't like mentioning my foster parents, they were horrible people, but I managed to run away with help from another boy my age…his name…if I can remember correctly was Sasuke." Naruto tells them, revealing more about himself, "he went his way and I went mine."

"Were you two close?" Cardin inquires, actually curious to Naruto's life after the big reveal.

"Nah," Naruto replies with a solemn face, "it was spur of the moment between us both."

Dove sighs, "my mom was beaten by my father until she finally kicked him out, bastard. Like I said in Ozpin's office, he thought I wasn't his because I didn't come out a bear Faunus. But, I always wanted to be like the good man my mother said he was…so my semblance manifested in the fashion to give me the strength of a bear…it just makes me hate myself even more."

Mustering the courage, the blonde walks over and then placed his hand on Dove's shoulder, "a friend of mine from Signal told me something…"

"If someone can't value you for what you're worth," Naruto says as he remembers what Qrow said to him one day after he was found in the back of the school, "fuck 'em."

The teen sniffled a little bit, Dove hissed slightly at the burning sensation in his eyes, "goddamn…feelings."

Russel sighed, "I guess since we're having a share-fest, I should join in."

"Oh please, I have known you all of my life man, you pretty much had it easy." Cardin states, waving off his friend, much to everyone's annoyance which made him flinch, "but if you want to share…go ahead."

Taking a deep breath, the mohawk teen just sighs, "Card whenever you talk about chicks man I'm not interested. I play along, I always have played along since we're in our first years in vocational school."

"I want to know something, all of what we say here, it stays here, right?" He questioned everyone, who nodded.

Russel nods, gathering his courage, "I'm gay."

Everyone stood there, looking at the teen as he rubbed the back of his mohawk. He then chuckled a little bit, taking in what he had just done, accepting that he now had to trust people as Naruto and Dove trusted them with their secrets.

The young man spoke up, "I'm not in love with you, Card. So, don't go off thinking that anything we hung out it was me trying to get with you, in fact, I just like you as my compadre. Honestly, growing up hiding these feelings, well…first off, discerning them was a bitch."

"I mean, I grew up slightly confused on what I wanted. But, as I got older, I just found myself attracted more to boys than girls. As weird as it sounds, I just started gravitating toward the fellow sex, and remember that one other guy we hung out with…Cardin?" Russel took a moment to gather himself, "that was actually my boyfriend before we broke it off."

Cardin just stood there, gob smacked and tongue-tied, his best friend had been gay?! How could he not seen it, why didn't he see it, and then really fell around him into place. He looked his hands, he looked at them all and realized that for all that teenage angst he carried with him still, his life amongst his peers was the most normal one of all.

Three hot meals a day, no need to hide your true self, a proud father, a doting mother. Taking a step back, mentally, he looked at the fractured people in front of them. It made sense now why Naruto stayed up so late, he couldn't sleep because of nightmares and such at night, why Dove had some anger issues, and why Russel just seemed to be softer in approach despite his demeanor. Yet, he took a deep breath, realizing that he hadn't been a friend to Dove or Russel if he didn't know their pain.

Naruto looked at Russel, "trust me when I say I won't judge you, my adoptive sister…well…"

"Aah, well then, I guess this has been one hell of a share-fest. So," Russel looks at his team, "where do we go from here guys?"

"How about we go with the words of that annoying little strawberry headed sister of Yang…" Cardin felt the glare from his team, "I mean that cute little pipsqueak, "keep moving forward?"

"I like it," Russel smiles as he gave his opinion and placed his hand out, "Team C.R.D.N?"

Naruto huffed a little, smiling and placing his hand out, "Team C.R.D.N."

Dove did the same thing, "to C.R.D.N."

Cardin stood there, placing his hand on top, he took a deep breath, "so long as Naruto doesn't screw up…C.R.D.N."

* * *

Naruto was in the training room, benching some weights with Kakashi, who had just joined after seeing the blonde curling some iron. He spotted the young man as he benched an incredible three hundred pounds. Despite his thin stature, the blonde was incredibly strong.

Benching at sets of ten, Naruto finished the last push, getting off the bench and stretching as he felt his arms slightly cramp up. His aura was quick to heal him, turning toward Kakashi, the blonde smiled rubbed the back of his head.

"You owe me a soda~" Naruto playfully hummed aloud as he dropped and started to do some pushups.

Kakashi chuckled, "someone's in a good mood."

"Yeah, well, I've been in Beacon nearly two full months. Sure, the holidays are coming up, but I got enough meds to tide me over, the meetings with Peach aren't so bad." Naruto said as he took to doing upside down push-ups, exposing his abdomen when his shirt fell down.

The man sighed, "thought about getting a girlfriend yet?"

"Nah," Naruto rolled backward after finishing the pushups, "I'm looking forward to just trying to lead my team now."

Nodding, Kakashi looked at the training room, "say I saw that fight a few weeks ago. It has been eating me up, where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Huh, fight like how?" Naruto inquires as he walked toward the sparring room, "it was just a few dodges and jabs my mother taught me and I sort built off that."

The Head Security Guard rubbed the back of his head, "well, if you want to refine it…I can give you a few pointers."

The blonde smiles, holding his fist out, "deal."


	16. Episode Sixteen: Invitation

**(The new image was made by buenaVSTA, she's a good friend and you need to go and give her some love when she posts her story on here. The date of which is pending, but I'll announce it when it gets released, it'll mean so much to me if all my people could go and take a look at her new story when it comes out. I promised to a friend, and I like to keep my promises!**

 **That, or you can go ahead and follow/favorite her that way you can get up to date information faster than I could possibly go!**

 **Simply type in buenaVSTA and you'll see her profile.**

 **She also has a Deviant Art account by the same name!**

 **She worked hard on the image above, and I cannot thank her enough for the opportunity to give back and the gift she gave!**

 **Also, ladies and gents, I am working on a very special which will call…White Fox…for now.**

 **But, hint, it is a retelling and reboot of a popular story of mine (NO it is NOT SILENT MOON or PERFECT TIME!)**

 **I'll let you have fun pondering.**

 **Much love.**

 **Blazeraptor54/Chris.)**

* * *

Naruto was in the storage area finishing a freelance piece. He took time to reflect on how in a week he'd be by himself, almost anyway inside of Beacon. Everyone would be heading home, dinner, family, and happiness.

The blonde turned to his bottle of medicine. One day he'd never need it again, but until that day the happiness he had came in the form of a pill. He was listening to heavy metal on his scroll's speaker mode, the song was a rendition of Unravel.

Nodding his head to the music, he then slammed the brush down across the painting he was making. As the song slammed onto the upper notes. The painting was of Forever Fall, which was in its third layer, a darker shade of white, light gray under dead trees.

Looking into the painting he closed his eyes.

* * *

 _Naruto swung his sword against Ilia's. Both breathed in as they clashed their blades against one another. Sparks and the sound of metal against metal filled the area. The girl was taking it easy, she had him beat the moment he raised the sword against her._

Yet _, she was training him to hold it better and maneuver through other people's attacks._

 _So far, he wasn't doing too bad, but he was not exactly a great swordsman either. She often wondered why he never moves onto something else. His keenness to keep the distance would make him an excellent midrange fighter with a spear mod. Or, if he wanted to stay at a range beyond being in physical combat he should change Red Flower into a pure bow._

But _, as she parried his last strike she finds him growing faster in the pace of which they came. His footwork wasn't half bad either. She smiled as he stumbles, and she then takes the advantage by pointing her whip-sword at his throat._

 _Growling, he backs off, "damn it!"_

 _"_ _Don't be so hard on yourself," Ilia told him before patting him on the shoulder._

 _He scoffs her hand off, "but I don't want to be a loser anymore, I'm tired of losing spar after spar."_

 _"_ _You're a freshman, losing is going to be your thing, but you can also learn from defeat. My mom taught me that in failure you learn the best lessons. while in the constant success you learn not how to catch yourself." She said while smiling, "and you'll be great."_

 _Snow fell all around them. Atlas's spring brought more snow than winter did, because of the moisture increase. With sunlight piercing through the skyline. The ice-covered continent, and the city it had been named after glistened in the sun like a diamond on the world._

 _Naruto rubbed his fox ears, "so, how'd I do…?"_

 _"_ _Not bad, you need to work on your footwork, other than you're well on your way." Ilia commented as she spun her sword around before sheathing it in a holster on her back. "besides, you're still too young to go on practice hunts anyway."_

 _Naruto frowns and crossed his arms, "but I want to be the best at what I promised to be."_

 _"_ _You will, one day, I know that." She held out her hand. "Go the distance."_

* * *

Stopping his fourth layer the blonde looks at the painting. He smiled before placed the materials down on a small side table. Stretching, he hummed as he walked away from the painting and over toward his mother's ash vase.

Taking a stool from out from under a table the blonde sat on it. looking at the vase where a picture of her stood behind it, he smiles as leaned onto the back of his hands. His knees used to balance his elbows, he looked at the painting.

"Am I making you proud?" He inquires to her spirit, hoping he'd receive an answer, but found nothing.

Sighing he got up and yawned, "I'm going to bed mom, see you tomorrow."

* * *

Glynda was sitting in her classroom, humming along, "in two weeks I get a vacation~"

The blonde bombshell of an instructor sang out as he continued to hum, "vacation~"

She had finished grading everyone's tests. With Team C.R.D.N's combine grade coming up since their big share-fest as they explained a week ago. It seemed that their cohesiveness as a team still had a few bumps. But, whatever they had discussed behind closed doors seemed to set them back on track.

Having the teams in her class ranked, she was getting ready to update the board. With Team J.N.P.R leading the scores in sparring as a whole, with Pyrrha pretty much carrying them. Jaune Arc, a student she wrote off as a washout, started to improve as well.

He even, finally, beat Cardin.

She got up from her desk and walked over toward the door to her classroom, opening it up, she found a postcard for her. Humming and bending over to pick it up. She saw it was for Vacuo's Beach Resort, Gele Heights, and even had a transport ticket.

 _"_ _For all your help, have a relaxing vacation._

 _-Ozpin."_

She smiled pocketing the postcard and began striding with pride. Ozpin had been around the corner, looking on with a smile.

Kakashi was standing in front of him leaning against the opposite wall. "you know it's cool that you do this, but The Pillar Men Gang are still loose."

"Come now Kakashi do you believe that I haven't planned for them?" Ozpin smiles as he questioned his head of security, "besides I've seen you've grown close to Namikaze."

"Kid reminds me of an old friend," Kakashi admitted as he shrugs, "so what?"

"Nothing, nothing, keep an eye out for when they do come. After all, since you were the one to put them in I assume they'll be gunning for you." Ozpin tells Kakashi as he sipped his cocoa, which was fresh and hot.

Kakashi hummed, "you think they'll go after him?"

"No," Ozpin answered.

* * *

Junior was a bald-headed man with a tan complexion. His guards were the very lovely twins Melanie and Miltiades, The Malachite Twins. They were getting ready to close the club down when the doors opened. The girls turned to Junior, who looked at the door.

"We're closed." He stated, not bothering to lift his head up.

A familiar voice hit him like a truck, "even for your top guns for hire?"

"Oh fuck…" Junior looks up from the bar table, "Ka-Kars?"

Standing behind Kars, the shortest of The Pillar Men Gang was his three half-brothers. They all had their arms crossed, with Santana, Esidisi, and Wamuu standing tall. The Malachite Twins got ready for a fight, readying their weapons.

Junior reached under the bar for his shotgun, "you all should go."

"Go, but Junior we own this bar. Besides, we're looking for some work and you may know a person." Kars moved toward the door and locked it as he spoke, a sickly sweet tone escaping his lips.

Melanie was the first to move forward, "the boss said you should go, but if you don't we'll make you go."

Miltia nodded, staying silent as she moved forward. Readying her claws with burn dust. The four brothers looked at one another, with Wamuu rolling his eyes. Stepping forward from them. Kars walked toward a chair, taking a seat in it.

He looked over at a goon. "hey fuck-face, get me a drink."

The goon swallows and ran over toward a cooler where the beer was kept. Santana hummed as he took a seat by Kars, and Esidisi soon followed by sitting on the table. Much to the two other's annoyance, but they were also interested in the show that was about to start.

"Oh, great this one doesn't have a weapon, wonder if he's like that blonde bimbo that trashed the place siss." Melanie charges forward, her heel-blades activating burn dust as well as she jumped up for up for a kick.

The tallest of The Pillar Men Gang used his forearm to block the kick. And as Miltia came up to stab him through with her claws, he grabbed Melanie's leg. He used her like a bat to smack her twin sister away before throwing her at Junior.

Melanie caught herself on the bar table and flung herself back. Wamuu looked as the blue's twin sister flung herself from the balcony. She had been sent toward prior. Wamuu scoffs and turned blocked both sister's weapons with his forearms.

Growling Melanie and Miltia then try to slash at his face and groin area. Only for him to block them once again with his forearms. He then surprises them by taking a large step forward. Punching the red wearing Malachite across the club and sending her into a liquor display.

Wamuu's body shined with a sickly green color, he reacted to the blue dressed Malachite like he would an insect. She jumped up and tried to slash his face open. But as her blade made contact her eyes widened when his face became dark black in color where she had hit him.

Backing off as Miltia rejoined her side both girls glare at the man. His face turning back into its normal color, he smirked.

"More." Was all he uttered, an insult and beckoning all in one word.

 _"_ _Goddamn it, what the hell is he?!"_ The blue dressed Malachite twin looked at him and watched as he moved forward. _"It's like I'm just striking against steel!"_

The twins roar out as they charge. Melanie going high while Miltia went low. Moving fast enough and applying aura to their limbs to make them move faster as well. But, Wamuu rolls his eyes and stands there with his eyes closed as their strikes sent sparks off his body.

All they accomplished was slashing his clothing open in the areas of impact.

They backflip away before charging once more. Going to opposite parts of his body, dancing around him with a flurry of slashes. All they could ever do was cut into his clothing so that they were getting ruined. Wamuu stood there and took the blows.

Each spot they hit had turned black before impact. His aura flaring as he opened his eyes and glared at them both as they tried to attack him from behind. Burn dust creating a brilliant light show along the way. He brought his arm up to block a kick aimed at his eyeball by the heel-blade. But, allowed Miltia to back away while Melanie tries to stab him in the back. Sighing, Wamuu spun on his heel. Using the back of his fist along with his aura to knock them both off him with a powerful outward blast of his energy.

Miltia slid on the floor, using her blades to anchor herself as she caught Melanie. The girls looked at Wamuu as the pieces of his clothing flew off to reveal masculine _God_. A body that would make many bodybuilders jealous. Bulging biceps and arm muscles, his leg muscles were even well over the normal size.

Closing his eyes and sighing, Wamuu then speaks up. "my family name stands in the ancient desert tongue for Black Rose. A symbol of one thing, a thing that we _all_ must endure, death."

Miltia growls, "fuck your family name!"

She charged after dropping Melanie on the ground and jumped up. She began spinning to deliver a powerful series of slashing kicks with her blades. Wamuu smirked as he kept his eyes closed, dodging left and right.

Melanie ran and appeared behind him in a brilliant display of speed. He turned his heel and used his arm coated in black to block her slashes. The Pillar Men Gang watch on. As their eldest and proudest brother began to get pressured by these two girls.

He even took a step back!

Sighing Wamuu took another step back, making both girls rush to his front.

Wamuu opens his eyes and then grabbed both them by their necks, holding them up, "my turn."

Both girls wince as Wamuu took off sprinting. His footsteps leaving indents in the ground as they slammed downward. He ran them into the wall before running through it as he ran a few feet to the side.

As he pulls them back from the wall. Both girls dazed and confused. he then threw them into the air to where he could grab their legs before smashing them into each other. A loud smack was audible as he did this, smirking he saw where blood flow from their mouths. Spinning forward on his heel. He then throws the girls into nearby furniture.

Yet, as they went to get up Wamuu was already on them and grabbed their hair before dragging them along the floor. Jumping up he hears them both yell in pain as he grabbed them. Both from behind their heads and slammed them face first into the floor upon landing.

Blood dripped from their mouths and noses as he held them up, smirking, "you were fun girls."

"Yet," he continued with a menacing voice, "our _game_ ends here."

He stood up straight as he let them fall from his hands. Their auras sparking in brilliant colors of red and blue, he looked down at them.

"Kars," Wamuu turned to his youngest brother who was also the leader of their gang, "what will we do with them?"

"Good question, Junior, do they mean anything to you besides a piece of ass?" Kars got up from his chair, only to hear clattering.

Junior hadn't gone for the shotgun, he got his bazooka out and pointed it right at Wamuu.

"Junior," Wamuu turned toward the club owner, "you and I both _know_ how this song and dance ends."

Junior growls, "I don't care, but I'm not letting anyone of you kill 'em."

The proud warrior of The Pillar Men Gang scoffs, " brothers, what is your verdict?"

Kars stood there and smiles, he then claps as he looked at the girls as they started to stir. Taking a moment and thinking it over, the man then sighed.

"They can live, for now, after all we need him to give us some money for the road. You see boys, with Beacon going through their vacation time of the Winter... We should take this opportunity to fulfill our last contract. The death of Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy." Kars stated and then walked toward Junior before speaking to the man. "I want four hundred thousand lien."

"F-fine leave and don't come back, don't set one foot in my door again, and I'll get your money by the next morning." Junior pleads with the leader, hoping for Kars to listen to reason.

Yet, the wings of The Eagle Faunus spread open as he looked at the bald man.

"Junior maybe I can't fucking speak clearly. I said I wanted four hundred thousand liens, I didn't say I'd _wait_ for four hundred thousand liens.

The club owner just held his hands up, "I can look in the safe, but I can't say it'll be all in money form…I keep few gold bars in there worth fifty thousand apiece."

Santana got up from his seat and walked over toward Junior, "I'll go with him."

Wamuu watches as they go, looking down at the girls, "you said that a blonde haired bimbo beat you all before…perhaps she could give me a better challenge?"

"Screw…you…" Melanie breathed out as she weakly raises her up.

The Pillar Man just rolled his eyes, "Esidisi, heal their wounds."

Esidisi the second born of the brothers, wearing a small headband over the middle of his eye, walked over toward the girls. He shot strings made of aura out of his fingers pierced their bodies and began to heal any internal wounds.

Kars all the while stood there and then realized something, "I never got my drink."

He turned toward the goon that was supposed to have given him his drink, the man held his hand up only for Kars to walk over toward him and simply pat his shoulder. The goon calmed down, only for Kars to suddenly shove a green colored energy blade through the man's chest.

Pulling the man close to where Kars could speak directly into his ear, the leader of The Pillar Men Gang growled, "when I say get me a fucking drink…you damn well get me a drink."

The man slid off the energy blade, falling onto the floor in a heap, blood slowly leaking into the floorboards.

* * *

Yang was in her dorm with the rest of her team, she was playing a board game with them, War for Remnant. She was playing as Vacuo, currently, Weiss was dominating the game, having already taken over Mistral with Atlas's forces.

Ruby was struggling against the coming winter that was aimed directly at her, with Weiss humming menacingly all the way. She pulled a couple cards from her deck, smirking as she looked at Ruby, the girl squirmed under the look.

"Um, huh…is it too late to change the game to Sorry?" Ruby nervously chuckles while inquiring in order to avoid a straight defeat.

Weiss smirked, "oh yes, we're way past that Ruby."

"Aw…great…" Ruby bemoans as she placed her card down, "I guess I'll strengthen my defenses."

"Oh," Weiss deploys two cards out, "I guess I'll just have to level Vale City to the ground with my bombers while using rapid deployment to invade and thus eliminate you."

"Dang it!" Ruby screeches childishly and whines slightly as she held her head down in defeat.

Blake was reading her book (porn) and enjoying its lovely writing (graphic sex), she then looks down at the girl. Sighing, she just closed her favorite book and looked at Ruby.

"Hey, Ruby, want to play a game of connect four?" Blake asks as she hopped down from her bed.

"Yes!" Ruby had stars in her eyes, the black and red haired girl hums happily as she got the game and walked toward another side of the room.

Yang and Weiss stared each other down, "so, ice queen…what's it gonna be?"

"I'm not sure what you mean." Weiss says while looking at her cards, "I've got a stacked deck."

"I'm about to make _Weiss-Cream_ ," Yang joked as she placed her cards down, "bombers and two rapid deployment card and I attack Atlas!"

"EXCUSE ME?!" Weiss screeches as she watches Yang move her pieces toward Atlas.

Yang laughs, "don't let these looks fool ya, there's a brain under all this."

"Yay, Yang~" Ruby cheers as she looked at her sister with a bright smile.

The heiress to The Schnee Dust Company held her head in defeat, "how, it was perfect…"

"You got cocky little Snowflake, you left Atlas weak in its core, and since Atlas is owning the world…if I owned Atlas I win." The heiress listens to Yang in disbelieve, "it was elementary my dear Weiss-Cream."

"No, no, no!" Weiss declares as she points at Yang, "rematch!"

"In what? Sparring, this, or checkers?" Yang inquires, knowing that she has beaten Weiss in every one of them.

Yang may have been a bombshell blonde, a party girl in a way, but she was very smart. People just assumed she was an airhead because of her appearance, it was something many people didn't note as a strength rather than a weakness.

Looks can be deceiving, but to their defense, if she ever got mad the brains kind of went out the window.

"So," Blake got the game out and looked toward the two older girls, "anyone here ready to go home for Winter Vacation?"

"Yeah!" Yang and Ruby yelled out at the same time.

"Our dad makes us a mean pot roast every year and honeyed ham, mmm, honeyed ham with strawberries…momma's coming." Ruby moans out as she licked her lips, imagining the food, "and the cookies."

"So many cookies…" Yang continues with Ruby, "what about you Blakey?"

"I'm probably just going to stay here," Blake leans against the wall as she talks to them, "my family and I aren't really on good terms right now."

"Aww, that sucks!" Ruby declares as she placed her first piece, a black piece into the far most left slot.

The golden eye girl just rolls them, "it's not a big deal, Ruby."

"No seriously, you should go with me and Yang, dad always makes more than enough for everyone! Who knows, you could meet my awesome uncle Qrow as well!" Ruby cheerfully grabs Blake's shoulder and shakes them, "please~"

Blake sighed, "fine."

"Well I'll be going home to have the annual Schnee Dinner, Nanna Schnee usually buys me and Winter a lot of gifts. Though my brother Whitley is supposedly getting a hover car this year of his own…lucky brat." Weiss comments as she got up and yawned, "I'm going to take a shower."

Yang laughed and looked at Weiss, "don't melt in there Snowflake."

Glaring at the bombshell blonde, the girl just lets it go and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

Naruto was walking back toward his dorm room when he saw an envelope on his door, it was taped there, addressed to him. He grabbed it and opened it to see that it was from Ozpin. It was an invitation to The Pearl, a hotel that was one of the highest rated in the world.

He noted that it was from Ozpin and read the card.

 _"_ _Winter is all about family, I cordially invite you to Beacon's 20th annual Family Dinner for this Winter Season. Come with an empty stomach, with a smile and wearing your Sunday's best. This dinner is meant to give back to students who've lost everything and pursued their dreams. Expect to be in the company of fellow students of such regard, there will be a three-course meal of the highest caliber and small tokens will be given out to chosen students._

 _Come with us to make the holidays a happier time!_

 _Sincerely._

 _-Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy._

 _P.S, inside of the envelope is your tickets for the vent, which will allow you to stay a couple of nights inside of the hotel as well."_

Naruto looked at it, a small tear made it way out of his eye, he had to go suit shopping this weekend now!

But, all in all, it warmed his heart up enough that he didn't feel cold. Instead, he clutches the envelope close to his chest and smiled.


	17. Episode Seventeen: Gentle

Naruto and Kakashi clashed forearms as they danced around each other. An upper kick launched by Kakashi was easily blocked by Naruto's left forearm before he tried to follow through and punched with the same arm. The man dodged to the side, attempting to punch the blonde in the face. However, the blonde Fox Faunus merely leans back and dodges the blow.

Bouncing on the heels of their feet and moving back, both launched a kick toward each other's head. Their legs collided against each other, echoing through the dueling the stage, which was closed down due to Glynda going on vacation early.

Sparring class was essentially left to Port, who would just ramble on and on about tactics.

"Got you!" Naruto announces as he slung his fist toward Kakashi's face.

The man merely hummed, dodging by leaning back, he attempted to thrust his right palm into Naruto's abdomen. However, Naruto countered with a grab of the offending hand and slinging his shoulder into Kakashi's chest, making the man stumble back a little.

Scoffing, Kakashi just wiped his cloaked nose as he spoke to Naruto. "Not bad, but you need some more work."

The blonde's face had some bruises on it, however, through this these little practice sessions his hand-to-hand techniques had improved bounds from where he started. Kakashi saw something that Naruto may've never seen in himself.

He was a quick learner if the lessons were applied via physical practice.

It's a core concept that many schools, even civilian schools, failed to understand. A monkey, a fish, a dog, and a bird are tasked with climbing a tree. Simple, right? Well, of course, the monkey and even the bird shall excel in the given task.

The Dog and Fish on the other will fail, and since they did, they'll go through life believing they were stupid.

Task the same group in running, The Dog will win.

Task the same group in swimming, The Fish wins.

It's all about the field, field of play and practice, some people will always be better at something than others. Natural talent isn't a factor if it isn't trained, however, training only worked if someone had a passion for what they did.

In the case of being a Huntsman? Naruto had a lot of passion, his heart was probably three times bigger than what other people had, and it was aspiring for an orphan who had all his talents to choose a career like this.

He could've been a professional painter, making money easily enough, but yet he chose to be here. Some people had a family tradition to uphold, but for the blonde in front of him, it didn't matter of tradition.

It was as simple as pride!

"Grrr…" Naruto growls as he ran toward Kakashi.

He jumps up, spinning on his side and tries kicking at the man, the man merely steps back and dodged to the right to avoid the cheating gainer upon the blonde's landing. Naruto, however, surprised him when he stood up on one hand and kicked while following through with his momentum. The more experienced fighter however chuckled while low kicking the blonde in the shin.

He hissed, Naruto scrunches his face in pain as Kakashi smashed a fist into his sternum, making him cough spit across the ground. Breathing hard Naruto just attempts to block the last few punches before one caught him on the side of the head. Pressing his advantage Kakashi hits Naruto in the chest in specific areas with a finger thrusts, it makes the blonde wince and lock up.

His body locked up, no control.

Kakashi smirked under his mask and watched as Naruto stumbled back, "sucks don't it?"

"What…what did you do?" Naruto struggles to question him as he forces his body to try and move.

"I locked up your Tenketsu Points, the little small points in your body that transfer and emits aura throughout the body. It requires more or less a gentler approach than a simple punch." Kakashi aimed his fist at Naruto's chest.

Without warning the man simply punched him to the ground with a burst of aura following closely behind. While painful, making Naruto wince, it also eased up the "lock" on his body. Slowly, but surely, he regained full control of the midsection of his upper body.

"Okay…color me curious, why is it so hard to hit these so-called Tenketsu, and why haven't I even heard of the name until now if they're so important?" Naruto inquires as he leans up, sitting in a lotus.

Kakashi chuckled, "they're not common knowledge simply because few have the ability to actively block them, let alone the skill level to learn where they're at. You see, Naruto, I've been all over the world."

The older man sat down in a lotus front of Naruto, speaking with fervor. "I've seen many things, I've experienced many things. The greatest of things, among them being a family."

"Wait, so you're married?!" Naruto was shocked.

"I was, a long time ago, but it didn't work out. I was always away, she wanted someone that was always there, and as fate would have it…one day I came home and saw that it was burned to the ground. Grimm, Grimm took all that I had, and so I walked this world an aimless hermit." The security guard tells Naruto as he made motions with his hand.

The man sighed, "I've seen many things, young man. I've seen the worst of the world, but I've seen the best of it as well. I trained and trained, and when I thought I was done I trained some more. Eventually, I ended up being so good I was a Huntsman."

"Then, well, I decided that I wanted to take life slower in my later years. Security, granted, for the top school in the world seemed mundane compared to what I was doing." He continues, looking into Naruto's eyes.

The man smiled, "I met a man on my travels as a freelancing Huntsman, he told me I reminded him of a long lost friend. He taught me about The Tenketsu Points, taught me to let go of hatred and accept that one day I'll see my wife and child again."

"Was he a monk?" Naruto asks, curious to the man's identity.

"Didn't say, he just stayed with me while I was traveling through Vacuo, and one night in the desert cold…he vanished."

"Wow…" Naruto breathes and then grimaces, "could've been a gh…ghost?"

"Quite possibly, but, more importantly during the two months, I traveled with him in The Great Desert I came to learn about life. Life, like a wind, can only fly around objects and carry with it only what it can bear." Kakashi waves his hands about, humming a little, "some winds are strong and can carry stone…others…not even a feather."

The man chuckles a little bit, "tell me something Naruto, why? With all your talent, all your compassion for other things, why?"

"Why what?" Naruto questioned.

"Why do you want to die? Okay, let's be honest, you go off the meds. You go off the meds, those voices come back, and then those demons do too. What happens then? You can't always find happiness in the bottom of a bottle or a pill, trust me, I've been there. However, you are not without a burden. Even if people walk away from you, even if you are the lone tree in the forest, you can still grow." Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

He spoke clearly, smiling under his mask, "I believe you'll have a bright future ahead."

Rolling his eyes, the blonde Fox Faunus just sighed. "Yeah, but that's the thing Kakashi…I just…I don't know how to handle it without medication."

The man just eyed Naruto, he then said, "well meet me every Sunday and I'll show you a way to at least focus."

"Every…Sunday?" Naruto rubs the back of his head, "I guess…"

"After The Holiday Break though, because I'll be doing stuff around the area." Kakashi points out as he gets up and then turned around and held his hand out to Naruto.

The blonde took it and was helped up by the older man, both bowed to one another before they exited the combat classroom.

* * *

Dove was on his scroll, a woman with dark brown hair was crying on it, "ma?"

 _"_ _I lost my job son, apparently because I wouldn't do the things I was asked to do."_ The woman was crying and holding her head, _"I can't possibly get you a ride home for The Holidays."_

"Ma…it's fine. Really, just focus on yourself, alright?" Dove rubbed the back of his head as he sat on his bed, looking at the empty beds in the dorm.

This was the last week before everyone shipped out back to their families. They were all gift buying, probably save for Naruto. Dove just got hit with a devastating flash of news, his mom lost her job in the factory because she wouldn't sleep with her boss.

There was no way to prove it, scrolls weren't allowed on the factory floor, and they didn't really have security cameras save for on the lines. It made his blood boil, he was struggling to keep his composure on the phone. Breathing hard, his mother could tell that he was struggling.

 _"_ _Son, I love you, I'm sorry…I'll just make sure to get you home the next time you're all off."_ She tries to keep him calm.

"Next time mom?! Next time won't be until late Spring. Mom, can't you just come to Vale? It's cheaper to live here, and plus you could stay in the school for a few days until you get a place!" Dove begs his mother.

 _"_ _I don't even have the money to do so, son, please…just…please talk to me about how's it been at Beacon."_ She tries to change the subject but Dove shakes his head.

"Ma! Please, I can try to get the money!" Dove gets up from the bed.

She whimpered over the phone, _"son, you don't think your school will seriously allow a homeless woman to stay?"_

"Homeless?" Dove held his head, "what do you mean homeless?!"

 _"_ _Since I lost my job I can't afford our apartment, Dove, I love you…and I'm so sorry."_ She cries as she held her scroll closer.

Dove then looked at his mother, "ma, please stop saying your sorry. You did all you could, now it's my turn…I…I'll figure it out!"

 _"_ _Son…please don't stress over me…"_ She begs him.

"I will stress over you, you're my mother, you carried me for nine months! The least I can do is help you, I'll call you back once I got something figured out." Dove told her as he hung up the scroll.

He then let his rage out as he tossed it at the door, putting a hole in the door in the process, "fuck!"

* * *

Naruto walks along the streets of Vale, a heavy snowstorm had come in the other night. His intent was to buy a suit for the upcoming dinner party in The Pearl. Sighing as he walked through a deep bulge of snow on the sidewalk, wearing a heavy coat and boots, the Fox Faunus stops.

Taking a moment and stopping, Naruto looked at himself in the reflection of a glass window. How many times had he been invited by Taiyang, his old teacher, to have dinner? There was a certain guilt within his chest, now that he thought about it all. It wasn't that he wasn't happy, he was, but he felt guilty being handed a prestigious dinner.

Getting his scroll out, Naruto took a deep breath, it rang and rang until a male voice came over it.

 _"_ _Hey Fox, long time no hearing, sup?"_ The voice was slurred slightly, but it was very recognizable.

Naruto took a pregnant pause, then he answered back, "not too much Q-man. Say, um, is Mr. Xiao-Long having Holiday Dinner this year?"

 _"_ _Of course, why?"_ Qrow inquires over the call, slightly weirded out by Naruto's sudden call.

"Oh, nothing really, I just…well…" Naruto leans up against the building nearest to him, "I want to come over."

 _"_ _Oh…oh! This is…progress! Um, well, let me call Tai and see if he can spare another seat at the table. But, really, why not go to the fancy dinner at The Pearl? It's really fucking_ _ **good**_ _, probably much better than Tai's cooking."_ Qrow spoke over the line, questioning Naruto while telling him slightly about The Pearl's Dinner Party.

Naruto then chuckled slightly, "well I just wanted to come over and be with an actual family for once."

 _"_ _So, you're nixing the Dinner Party and heading over to an island where the food is cheap?_ Qrow then laughs as he spoke, _"guess I'll give Tai a call."_

 _"_ _By the way,"_ Naruto managed to stop his thumb from hitting the disconnect button, _"you're on your meds…right?"_

"Wait who told you I was on medication?" Naruto questioned.

Qrow then chuckled, _"you just did."_

The line went dead as Qrow hung up, leaving a flabbergasted Naruto standing in the snow.

The blonde could only muster only one word to describe his current mood, "shit."

He then felt his scroll buzz, looking down at it he saw that it was Dove!

Naruto clicks on the symbol to acknowledge the call, "Hello?"

"Hey, Naruto, listen to bud…I have a favor to ask of you. I swear, I swear on my life I'll pay you back for it." Dove then starts breaking down and looked at Naruto, "can you please help me?"

"Um, I guess, what is it?" Naruto inquires and then looked at Dove, "are you in trouble?"

"No, but my ma is," Dove answers as he held his head low.

Naruto sighs before asking Dove, "what do you need?"

 _"_ _Naruto, I'm needing a favor is regards of money. Please, can you lend me a couple thousand Liens. I'll pay you back, I swear on my life."_ Dove spoke as he walked through the halls of Beacon, from what Naruto could see anyway.

A silent pause followed, but then Naruto took a deep breath, "I trust you."

 _"_ _Dude, you've got no idea, none man! I swear I swear, I swear I'll make it up to you!"_ Dove was nearly on the verge of crying.

"Don't go crying on me, um, can you meet me out in Vale?" Naruto asks as he leaned against the glass of a shop.

 _"_ _Y-Yeah, where are you?"_ Dove inquires.

"I'm at Central Plaza in Upper-Class District. I came looking for a suit for The Pearl Dinner, but, it can be held off a for a little bit." Naruto waves as he spoke and watches as snowflakes fell around him.

Dove smiled, _"I'll be there man give me about half an hour."_

Naruto nodded as he hung up his scroll. He walks over to a nearby bench, brushing the snow off it with his gloved hands. A cold wisp of air escapes his lips as he sat down on the bench. Taking a look at the cold early evening streets and people, Naruto smiled when he saw a little girl dragging her parents along to a toy shop.

He saw what he assumed to be the mother picking the child up. The giggling reached his fox ears, they stood up at attention. He sighs, looking at the family, a bitter cold filled his soul as he closed his eyes for a brief moment.

* * *

 _"_ _I don't want to be alone anymore…I just want to go home…" A child said as he sat on a seedy looking bed._

 _He looked at the cracked mirror in his room, "I'm so tired…I want my mom…I want my mom…"_

 _The face of the mirror was split in the middle by the crack. There was anger, so much anger in the child, but he couldn't express it without getting another beating from his foster parents. He clutched the shaggy carpet, sobbing with his head against the mirror._

 _"_ _I don't want to be alone…why did Sasuke escape before me…?" The blonde fox child whimpers, questioning a ghost._

 _"_ _You're so stupid." Naruto snapped his head up toward the mirror._

 _He looked at his reflection, the right side of his face was normal, but the left side was more demonic looking. It had red eyes with no pupils, black sclera. He had a menacing grin, he was full of anger in those soulless red eyes encased in black._

 _Naruto whimpered as the darker looking Naruto merely smirked in the mirror, "you're not alone…I'll be your friend."_

 _"_ _F-friend, but you're me…how can you be my friend?" Naruto questioned openly._

 _"_ _I'll always be here when your hurt…when your angry…I'll take them all and give you so much power in return. Hehehe, well, so long as you are willing to give people payback." The Dark Naruto speaks with a soft voice._

 _He looked at the broken bedpost, they both heard the stumping._

 _He looked right into Naruto's eyes, "you and I both know what I mean by payback, bust that fat bastard's teeth in."_

 _The door suddenly slammed open, and everything went red._

* * *

Naruto's eyes snapped open, leaning up from the bench, he was breathing hard. He clutched his head, looking down at the snow, into ice that was reflecting his image. Only that his face was switching between his Dark version and himself.

 _"_ _You can take all the pills you want, asshole. But, the game doesn't change. Let's face it, Qrow is not going to call Taiyang. You're not going to have a family of your own, you're just a pill taking druggy, you can't even keep yourself sanity without them. How pathetic, how stupid, how ignorant!"_ Dark Naruto screamed from within Naruto.

Naruto felt his ears droop down, _"I'm not listening to you."_

 _"_ _But I still am here, tell me, did you ever bother to check if that man was still breathing when you cracked him with that bedpost? Nope, you ran like a coward, you ran and ran and ran until you collapsed."_ Dark Naruto further insulted as he felt closer than before.

 _"_ _I took my pill, just go away!"_ Naruto inwardly screams.

 _"_ _W_ _ **e**_ _W_ _ **i**_ _L_ _ **l**_ _N_ _ **e**_ _V_ _ **e**_ _R_ _ **G**_ _o_ _ **A**_ _w_ _ **A**_ _y_ _ **!**_ _"_ Both Rage and Darkness scream out at the same time.

 _"_ _Shut up!"_ Naruto screams inwardly so loud that it made his ears physically ring, all of them.

He clutched them, holding them, shutting his eyes tight as he forced them back. He wasn't going to have them ruin a good time of the year for him, he wasn't going to be a burden for anyone this year. He was going to be HAPPY!

Sighing, Naruto felt them being forced back and raised his head up to see Dove. The teen was standing there in the cold, wearing a similar jacket to Naruto. He looked at the blonde, sighing, he had a sad frown on his face.

"Hey…" Dove greeted.

"Yo…" Naruto greeted all the same.

Dove took a seat by Naruto, he sat down brushing the snow away. He looked at the crowds, much like Naruto did, seeing the whole families walking with their children. The older teen merely placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, that's when the blonde looked over and saw Dove whimpering slightly.

"Goddamn man, this sucks, I hate begging," Dove admits, taking a deep breath and swallowing his pride.

Naruto looked at the brown haired teen, "you're not begging, you're just needing help."

"I know, but I should've been saving up my money, now my ma is suffering back home…I should've never come here." Dove admits as he looked at the snow falling.

"You mean to meet me, or just in general?" Naruto questions.

"To Vale, should've stayed home in Mistral, I mean my ma is suffering back home man…what kind of fucking son am I?!" Dove yells out, causing some people to look at them as they walked by.

He grips his head, looking at Naruto, "I just want to make my ma happy."

"Well…wasn't she happy that you came to Beacon?" Naruto inquired.

"Heck yeah man, she was ecstatic. She was electric almost, jumping up and down at my acceptance letter. I almost screwed that up when I decided to try and be a cool guy and bully you and Jaune. But, man, that day you stood up for…I never knew why…still, don't." Dove lowered his head and sighed, "I have the greatest fear that'll end up like my piece of shit father."

The blonde turns to Dove, "nah, you won't."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Dove bitterly replied, scoffing at the positivity that Naruto was trying to give.

Naruto then spoke as clear as day, "because you actually give a damn. Besides, it's the season to be with family and give gifts…so…"

He reached into his pocket, fishing out the invitation and handing it to Dove, the older teen looked at Naruto stunned. The two look at one another, the blonde had a smile on his face as he watches Dove shutter slightly.

"Dude, but, this is yours…you earned this," Dove said as he tries to hand Naruto the invitation.

"Nah uh, I didn't earn it, it was given to me. So, I see you going through I rough time and your mom needing help…" the teen lowered his head, "I wished someone had done the same for my mom and me when we were hit with the hard times."

The brunette nodded, "it sucks man, life sucks most of the time."

The blonde looked at Dove, "but you still have someone to look out for, right?"

"Yeah," Dove bumped his shoulder onto Naruto's, "so…wanna discuss a payment plan with me over the money?"

"Nah." Naruto merely states before getting up off the bench.

"Nah, nah what?" Dove inquires as he gets up as well, ready to follow Naruto.

The blonde rubbed the back of his head as he smiled, "we're cool on the whole money thing, just take care of your ma."

"Hold up a second, seriously, aren't you struggling?" Dove questioned Naruto.

"And?" Naruto replied with a smirk.

The blonde looked up toward the setting sun, "Dove. The way I see it is that we all struggle, but when we have people that need us…we fight."

He then turns to his teammate, "and we fight together."

The two bumped fists as they walked down the road, both holding their heads up high.

* * *

"Frigging advertisement." A man with a stubble mumbles as he grabbed a T.V dinner and sat on the couch.

The blonde haired man with lilac eyes popped open a beer, looking at the television. He leaned back into the couch. Looking down at his T.V dinner, a Salisbury Steak and mash potatoes, he used a plastic spoon and took the first bits of food into his mouth. Savoring the tastes, the fact that he wouldn't have to grade papers for a while, and the calm before the storm. But, like all good things, it ended with a phone call.

Grumbling Taiyang Xiao-Long just reached over and grabs the old fashioned phone. "Hello?"

 _"_ _Hey Tai, so guess who called me today!"_ The voice of Qrow Brawen filled the man's ears.

Taiyang sighed, "Raven?"

 _"_ _Nah, that bitch never calls, why'd you guess her? Oh, it's the holidays, right! Shit…um…can I get a do-over?"_ The man slurred, only for a loud bang to be heard over the phone.

"Qrow…what's going on?" Taiyang questioned his former brother in law.

 _"_ _One second, Q daddy gotta do Q daddy things, come here motherfucker!"_ Qrow screams over the phone.

There was sounds of punching, gunshots, and followed by someone begging the Gods for Qrow to stop breaking their legs. There were other voices, Tai waiting patiently on the other line, humming a tune that he had in his head. He heard a guy yell at Qrow only for the noises of crashing and glass breaking to quickly follow suite.

 _"_ _Okay Q daddy things are done, asses are kicked, and now for that do-over. Ahem, hey Tai guess who called me today?"_ Qrow repeated from earlier, oddly in a cheerier voice.

"Oh, geez, I don't know…Raven?" Taiyang mockingly repeated his last question from before.

 _"_ _Okay, first of all, dick move Tai…dick…move. Also, no, Naruto."_ Taiyang nearly spat his beer out.

There were a few times that Naruto had ever called them, and it usually was a brief twenty-second conversation informing them that he wasn't going to make it to the class that day. But, he had just called Qrow? Out of the blue, and it now piqued Taiyang's interests.

"Okay, wow, um…what did he call for?" Taiyang asks as he went back to eating his dinner.

 _"_ _Actually, for once, he sounded happy. Um, he is wanting to take you up on dinner during The Holiday."_ Qrow answered Taiyang.

Taiyang stopped, "wait, so he wants to take me up on that dinner that I offered him many times…now?"

 _"_ _Yeah, should I tell him yes or no?"_ Qrow further asks.

Taiyang smiled, "tell him yes."


	18. Episode Eighteen: Holiday part one

It was the final day before the holiday break.

A nearly two-week vacation before going back into the grind of classwork, training exercises, and short weekends. The date was the twentieth of December, and they would be off all the way until the second of January next year.

To Naruto it was a boon, not because of the time off, but for the time slots opening for him to do more work. He could go into the training room unimpeded and unload loads of stress on the training dummy. The only days he had in reserve were the two days that'd he be staying in Taiyang's house, on the couch.

Looking at the various stalls in the upper-class district. Naruto yawns, it had been a very uneventful day so far, another passed test and all that. His bank account was a little thin, but it's not the worse he's ever been at.

His old apartment was still up for grabs, he bothered to make a call, and pointed Dove at it for his mom. Two thousand lien could go a long way in Vale. The cost of living in Vale was moderate compared to Atlas and Mistral, tax rates and such.

Vale was interesting since it had a law that limited product costs by type, quality, and had a roof tax of eight percent at most. Just slightly above Vacuo, but Vacuo was not exactly a friendly place to live in to begin with.

There's also Menagerie, technically Naruto still owned the family home there. He just didn't want to go back, he couldn't go back, too many memories and so much time. More than likely everything was under literal feet of dust anyhow. He was scared of it, because his demons would be in full force, and he'd have to face the happiest times of his life.

It easy to be happy during the good times, but its hell to remember them when the people in them start fading away.

Taking a long sigh at seeing a family walk by Naruto just continues on, he honestly didn't know if he was supposed to buy gifts. However, he decided on small stuff. As he entered a market center, staking out the place for something interesting, Naruto found Dove's gift easily enough.

It was a new holster for his blade-gun, Skyrim. Made to where it could be attached to the back of someone's pants and side. The one Dove had currently was showing its age, what better way to give a gift that may keep him alive just a little longer.

The music playing in his headphones inside of his normal ears was holiday music, it added pep to his step. Finding it easier to shop, acclimate to the people around him, and not to pay attention to all the families with happy lives around him. Usually, this year was hard for him, he'd miss his mother, usually break down over her.

However, he could hold his tears for a few days.

Stopping, Naruto walked over toward a stall with various trinkets. He found a nice card for Cardin, he really didn't know what to get for him. Cardin could still be an absolute ass sometimes, he jokingly thought about getting him coal.

But, he settled on a card, and nice painted envelope with a bird on it.

Taking a moment to look around, Naruto found another card for Russel. It was a card talking about inner strength, and having no fear of oneself, to always have confidence in who you were. Shrugging, since it fit Russel's need to hide his homosexuality from his family, an acknowledgment of his willpower was a gift surely worth giving.

Naruto got a small steel necklace chain for Russel, steel representing the bond between him and his team. Flexible, but would never break.

With his team taken care of, Naruto moved on toward Team C.V.F.Y's gifts. Velvet had been a dear friend to him, but he didn't want to mix signals between them. He was scared of that, honestly, he liked her as a sister. However, if anything, she'd probably love what he saw.

It was a set of ear warmers for Faunus with long ears, ala Velvet.

He made sure to get a pair in scarlet, paying a moderate price for them since they were made of fleece. The blonde hummed along as he got a pair of fingerless gloves for Coco, matching her style. Yatsuhashi was easy to get, and as the bag filled up on his back, he managed to get the man some gravity dust.

Gravity dust was not cheap, but it wasn't super expensive like hybrid dust, and it was mostly used to increase weights of training gear beyond the normal. Yatsuhashi was a giant among them and was super strong without the need of his semblance to bulk up even more of that strength.

Fox was easy, he wanted a book, Hunger Games.

Easy to get, not expensive, and Naruto got him both of the latest editions.

Humming, nodding his head to the music, Naruto got a few boxes of a Menagerie tea called Tsuki. A tea meant to help someone fall asleep, Blake loved tea, and she had trouble sleeping from what he overheard.

It wasn't hard to eavesdrop with a fox ear about half the size of your arm in length. It granted Naruto a sense of hyperawareness of things around him at all times, not superpowers, but it was difficult to sneak up on him.

The bag was starting to weigh a little now.

Thinking about it, Naruto decided to take a seat on a bench and relax for a moment. Looking at the snow as it fell around him, the blonde closed his eyes.

* * *

 _"_ _Eh, really this is for me, Illa?!" Naruto screeched as he was handed a pair of fingerless black gloves._

 _The girl in front of him chuckled, "of course dummy."_

 _The two chuckled, with Naruto trying them on. They weren't well made, very cheap, but it made it nonetheless loving. Two Faunus in a school ripe with gossip, many people thought they were dating, but they never knew about Ilia's preferences anyhow._

 _Then again, they didn't know she was a Faunus, at least not yet._

 _"_ _So, hear the rumor where supposedly we sleep together?" Ilia laughed while questioning Naruto._

 _"_ _Pfft," Naruto rolled his eyes while blowing raspberries. "They only wished to be with an amazing friend like you."_

 _He hopped up on his top bunk and yawned._

 _"_ _Down boy, remember, I'm off limits." She winked at him, making him blush while laughing._

 _The blonde was laying on his bed, hanging upside down off the top bunk, "so what's the first thing you're going to do in the military as an officer?"_

 _"_ _Ha! I'm going to make my recruits run laps until they puke." Ilia states and then smiled while laying on the floor and looking up at Naruto, "you?"_

 _"_ _Cardio, cardio, and more cardio." Naruto held up three fingers as he spoke._

 _"_ _Sheesh, you and Cardio. Anyway, my family sent me a letter." Ilia showed Naruto the letter, still in the envelope._

 _He looked at her, "you really should read it."_

 _"_ _I will, I'll get around to it, they know how busy I am most of the time in here. But, I thank God every day that I get treated like a princess…but I also hate the fact they work themselves too hard. That's why, when its all set and done, I'll buy them a house with my military pay!" Ilia bumped her hand._

 _Naruto nodded, "and I'll work on picking up the pieces."_

 _"_ _Why don't you go to Menagerie, technically you still have a home there, right? The Inheritance Act and all of that, I mean, wouldn't it be nice to walk the old halls of a building you haven't been since you were a toddler?" Ilia inquired from him._

 _"_ _That's the thing," he sighs. "It'll be filled with my mother's pictures, my father's photos."_

 _"_ _Don't you want to know what that bastard looked like?" Ilia questioned._

 _"_ _In a way I do," Naruto hung his head low. "In a way, I don't."_

 _Ilia smirked, "you're a confusing creature, Naruto Namikaze."_

 _Rolling his eyes, Naruto simply smirked, "guess that makes two of us."_

* * *

Opening his eyes, darkness had fallen, had he really fallen asleep? Looking down to his side he discovered the bag was still there, thankfully. Getting up, dusting the gathered snow off his person, the blonde looked at the colorful lights on the streets. Tied by wiring across various lampposts, buildings, a stark contrast to the dark and gritty poorer section he lived in for a year.

Picking his back up over his shoulder, looking at his scroll, it was one in the morning?!

He had slept a full six hours in the cold, yet he felt warm!

Smiling a little bit, he swore he felt something was wrapped around him, but he knew better. He didn't feel weighed down, he didn't feel like someone was on him. All he knew that he had to finish up, get to his dorm in Beacon, wrap the presents and get a few clothes for a couple of days he'd be staying at Taiyang's.

He paused, then sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, he still needs to get Taiyang, Qrow, Ruby, and Yang a gift. The fact they were nice enough to have him for a family exclusive time meant that he was, in his mind, obligated to do such.

But, with most of the market closed, Naruto had very few choices. However, Qrow's gift was easy enough to find as he moved to one of the open stalls. It was a newer flask, he picked it up, it weighed a little bit.

So, if Qrow needed to do the "Q-daddy" thing, he'd have something.

But, as he stops, he realized he forgot someone, Kakashi!

Gripping his head stressed out a little, Naruto quickly got a thermos for Taiyang. He didn't know if the man drank, but he knew the man loved hot drinks and chicken broth.

"Will that be all, sonny?" The old man at the stall inquired, "I have more stuff than this in the back."

"No, that'll be all," Naruto replied as he handed over the lien, quickly finding his spending limit being reached.

The old man nodded, "alright sonny, take care now."

Naruto walks away from the old man, looking at the markets as many more began to close down. He may have to wait until tomorrow to complete his gift shopping, but luckily, he knew of a store that kept open twenty-four hours in the poorer district and could get some cheap wrappings there.

* * *

Walking back into his dorm, taking a moment to yawn loudly and flop down on the ground with his stuff. Naruto set about emptying the bag, looking at all the stuff he had bought for everyone. He began taking and color coding the gifts.

Brown and red wrapping paper for Team C.V.F.Y.

Red and gold for his team.

Yellow, Black, blue and red for Team R.W.B.Y

He found a decent mug for Kakashi while leaving Yang's and Ruby's for tomorrow to find. He was going to be nearly broke for January. But, it didn't really matter to him as started using his backup knife to cleanly cut the wrapping paper.

Dove was walking with Russel, "thanks for walking with me to the airfield."

"Not a problem man, not one bit. Hey, quick question, why are you here?" Russel inquired as they both walking into the main hub.

The older teen smiled, "mom."

Russel turns to see a woman with several suitcases being helped down the escalator with them, she was fair in complexion, short compared to Russel. She had dark brown hair, with blue eyes. Her smile was bright, tears brimming at her eyes.

"Dove!" The woman ran over toward her son and wrapped him into a hug.

"Oof, hey mom, still strong as ever eh?" Dove laughs as he patted his mom's back.

"Mmhmm, but look at you, you gained some muscle on you. Been eating healthy, have you made any friends?" She inquires while finishing the hug.

"Um, yeah mom, this is Russel Thrush." Her son introduced Russel, who smiled.

The mom turned and held her hand out, "I'm Dove's mom."

"Nice to meet you, well at least I know where Dove gets his eyes from." Russel laughs as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Dove shot Russel a glance, stifling a laugh, he then turned to his mother.

"You must be hungry C'mon ma, I'll get you set up at the place my other friend called about." Dove reaches down and grabs a couple of suitcases.

Russel does the same thing, "I'll help, I'm not due at Cardin's house for another few hours anyway."

"So," Dove's mother looked at him. "Who let you borrow the money?"

"My other friend, Naruto Namikaze. I owe him big time for this, but don't worry, he's not an asshole." Dove hissed when his mother smacked him on the back of the head, "ow?!"

She glared at her son, "what have I told you about cursing in public, Dove?"

He sheepishly, nervously, laughed. "Right…sorry mom."

* * *

Yang was riding the train with Ruby, they had left earlier than normal, they had a huge present between them. Their gift to their father, besides themselves, was the newer house cleaning robot that could walk up stairs this time around.

Like ones that glided on the floor, save it could use boosters in the form a blast of air and leap onto the stairs. It was costly, but knowing how hard their dad worked, it would be the best thing for them to give. After all, if he had to do less cleaning, he'd have more time to do stuff he'd like to do.

They also heard Qrow was going to be there, and Yang got him tickets to a death metal concert that'd be happening in Vale within a few months. Premium tickets weren't easy to come by, but she had her ways. That and one of her Signal buddies had connections to the band coming.

"So, Blake, are you really sure you want to spend this time with us?" Yang questioned her friend and partner.

The girl smiled, "yes, after all, we're a team, right?"

"Can't believe we didn't get invited to Weiss's thing though, that'd been totally awesome." Ruby bemoaned as she lowered her head.

"That's the thing," Blake brings up. "She wanted too, but her family didn't allow it."

"Always heard Schnee had a stick up there, guess its true, but Weiss can be cool sometimes. By the way, dad said that we'll have a surprise visitor coming this time around. Saying I knew him from school," Yang rubbed her hair.

Blake smiled, "your dad must be a kind man to accept strangers into his home."

"My dad is the greatest dad ever, he'd give the shirt off his back to you, and kick your butt if you were doing badly!" Ruby proclaims, her legs almost asleep from sitting on the train.

The ravenette laughed, "my dad is something similar, he just wanted the best from me."

"Well you're awesome Blake, I mean you kind of saved our butts and even a few others on the first time we fought together. So, yeah, we're proud to call you friend!" Ruby cheerfully spoke up as she leaned side to side.

Blake sighs, smiling, "wish I had a little sister."

Yang rolls her eyes, laughing, "sometimes they're more than a pain than a blessing."

"Hey~" Ruby childishly puffs her chest and crosses her arms.

Yang merely pinched her sister's cheeks, eliciting a yelp from her and an embarrassed blush. The girls watched as they saw the moonlight start wash over their windows after exiting the tunnel. The train was on a direct trail to Patch Town.

From where they'd have to hoof it about a few miles to The Rose Xiao-Long Estate. The name of their home set on about ten acres of land, in the middle of a beautiful forest. Patch was notoriously known for its low Grimm population, but that didn't mean dangerous Grimm didn't exist on the island.

Ursa, Beowulfs, sometimes the occasional King Taijitu.

The girls looked at the snowy plains near the shore, Patch in the summer had a decent beach, but nothing like Vacuo's.

"Hey, Blake, ever been to Vacuo's Emerald Beach?" Yang inquires as she leaned back in her seat.

"No," Blake answered. "Why?"

"Oh, because well, me and Ruby went there one year. It was beautiful, white sandy beaches and islands off the coast. The fact that they got a Grimm defense system underwater makes it one of the best resort destinations too." Yang laughed as she leaned back, "and there was a wardrobe malfunction on my part."

Blake stifled her laughs, "that must've been eventful."

"Oh, it was, it was very eventful, especially since a boy did it. Yang grabbed him, beating him to a bloody pulp, and then kicked him down there for good measure." Ruby grimaces as she remembered the boy's shrilling scream, "still can't remember his name."

"Meh, who gives a shit." Yang yawns as she looked at Patch Town as it broke over a hill.

Ruby coughed, "swear jar, Yang."

"Dang it." The blonde complained.

* * *

Kakashi was organizing his office, sighing as he got a suit ready for the Dinner Party. He had hoped Naruto would've come, but instead he was proud that the kid gave up something in order to help someone else. Despite all of the turmoil in his life, Naruto seemed to have a good spirit, even it didn't seem to love itself.

The man sighed, looking at a picture on his desk. There was a woman, she had purple hair tied in a spiky ponytail and a little girl with silver hair with purple highlights sitting on her lap. Sitting down in his chair, Kakashi reached up and removed his mask.

He had a scar running along the bottom of his right eye. The man was drop-dead handsome, but at the age of thirty-six, his ideas on life had long since been changed. He didn't seek to remarry, he didn't want anyone else, he had love and it had been taken from him.

Reaching over, picking up the photograph, he rubbed it tenderly.

 _"_ _Anko…Namida…"_ Kakashi took a deep, shuttering breath, _"I miss you both."_

 _"_ _I miss giggles, the arguments, the nagging, the play fights, the toys being thrown at me. I miss them, I miss coming home to you, laying in bed with you, I should've been there more than I was. Sometimes, the greatest joys in life are only missed when they're permanently gone from the world."_ He robbed the photograph through its glass.

He then felt something slide down his face, _"and all that we have left is old sepia photographs."_

A knock on the door made Kakashi pull his mask back up, he then called out. "Come in."

The door opened, revealing Ozpin. The man took a seat at Kakashi's chair in front of his desk. The man sighed, looking at his employee.

"You are aware that the Pillar Men Gang brothers will be attacking us at the Dinner Party, right?" Ozpin questioned.

"I am," Kakashi replied as he pulled out a layout of the building. "I have already determined their best course of action and where they'll be."

"Good." Ozpin acknowledged with a smirk.

"Ozpin, I can safely say that after tomorrow night they won't be a problem again. I didn't kill them before because I couldn't bring myself to take a life. However, since they are irredeemable, it seems that I must take their fate in my hands and snuff the light out from their soul." Kakashi put the layout away as he spoke.

"One can only be afforded so many chances, I learned that the hard way." Ozpin agreed as he thought back to someone that had been close to him, "so what is your plan?"

"An ambush upon an ambush, they'll more than likely set up explosives on the roof. I may have to bring my weapon in just this once if you hear me ding your scroll once we're all clear. However, if I ding you twice evacuate the building." Kakashi gets up and then walked over to his office's closet.

The man looked at his red suit, "Ozpin…does blood show up more on a red suit or black suit?"

"Hmm…good question, are you planning to attend the party afterward?" Ozpin inquires as he leaned back in the chair.

Kakashi nodded, "perhaps I plan to, perhaps I do not."

"Black, red doesn't match the color of crimson exactly. But, if I know you best, just do like you do your masks. Always bring a second one along for the road, by the way, I heard Mr. Namikaze rejected my offer." Ozpin smirked as he looked at Kakashi, "a bit curt isn't it?"

"Nothing curt, he chose to give it up to someone who was going through a crisis." The security guard organized a black suit for the evening.

"Hmm, well then, I leave you to your devices." Ozpin took his leave, but stopped at the door, "Kakashi…"

"Yes?" Kakashi looked at Ozpin.

Ozpin didn't turn to face Kakashi, "regarding our special interest in the basement…any change?"

"None, she's out cold still," Kakashi replied as he looked at Ozpin and judged his body language.

"I see, well, that's a shame. Kakashi, do take care." Kakashi watches as Ozpin leaves, closing the door behind him.

The security guard eyes the door, _"I can never get a read on him, but something is always…off."_

* * *

Naruto was tossing and turning in his sleep as he laid on the floor. He had managed to get the presents wrapped up, after some fighting. Snoring loudly, the blonde was twitching every so often as he laid his hand on an empty roll.

He was dreaming a good dream, with him giggling a little bit.

His alarm then goes off, making him wake up. He yawns as he turns it off, looking at the ceiling he saw that daylight was breaking over the mountains beyond Mountain Glenn. The teen raises up, looking at his presents.

Gathering them up, he placed Dove's, Cardin's, and Russel's on their beds.

The suitcase he had packed last night was ready to go, and he had a train ticketed scheduled for nine. The Fox Faunus gets Kakashi's gift as he packed up Ruby's, Yang's and Blake's along with Tai's and Qrow's.

Making sure to place Team C.V.F.Y's on his bed, so that he could give it to them when he got back from his trip into Patch. Looking at Kakashi's gift, the blonde had it wrapped in silver snowflake wrapping paper. Smiling, he walked over toward his dresser and popped one of his pills.

He looked at the pill bottle, _"he's right…one day I won't need this."_

Grabbing Kakashi's gift he left his dorm room.

Walking in the hallways, he quickly made his way around Beacon. Finding Kakashi's room, ignoring the room, he went to the office right next to the room. Finding that it was open, walking inside he found the older man asleep in his chair.

Sighing, Naruto looked at Kakashi, _"he must've fallen asleep…"_

Naruto walked, slowly, forwards. He then slowly placed the gift down on the desk in front of Kakashi, it had a big silver bow on it. Smiling, the blonde merely snuck back out of the room before gently closing the door behind him.

 _"_ _See you in a week old man…"_


	19. Episode Nineteen: Holiday part two

**_"_** ** _Hello there, you already know who I am._**

 ** _I am coming here in this brief message to tell you that today is Veteran's Day. If you haven't already, please send thanks to those who have given it their all, so that you may be happy. I honor my father with this message today, who is an army veteran._**

 ** _I'm just a humble fanfic writer, and simply want to also thank each of my viewers who are currently serving and have served in the military. Thank you all, and don't be a stranger._**

 ** _Also, sorry if its late, Happy Birthday to all my viewers who are marines. Thank you for your continued service, and Semper Fidelis Marines. I salute you and may God (if you believe in him.) continue to shine his grace on you, wherever you go._**

 ** _-Chris/Blazeraptor54_**

* * *

Snow fell like gentle feathers in a breeze.

The young Faunus got up from his bed early, about seven, intent to hit the shops for the last of his gifts. Yawning and quickly throwing on some clothes, he grabbed the various presents. Putting them in a sack, Naruto made sure to check his scroll and see that it was eight.

Eight?!

Naruto curses as he quickly slipped on his winter boots, running out of his room, "fucking piece of crap scroll!"

He dashes down the hall, looking out of the windows. The last transports out into the city would be leaving in five minutes!

Growling he dipped around the corner, sliding on his heels as he did from the sheer speed he was going. Drifting around another corner he ran fast enough to leave a sort of afterimage behind. When Velvet poked around a corner Naruto leapt and kicked off a wall to avoid her.

"Naruto?!" Velvet yelled in surprise.

"Sorry Velvet gotta go! Your gift is at your team's doorstep, no peaking!" Naruto screams back at her as he ran.

She blinked once, twice, and thrice. Smiling she then walked toward her team's dorm room, finding that they were getting ready to join her in helping host The Dinner Party in The Pearl. She was stunned a little since she was going for Daichi, who had no family.

"Hey there little rabbit, guess what, we got us a foxy gift giver!" Coco announced as she held up her gift, though it was still wrapped up.

She struck a pose as she shook hers around, "not hearing any bells jingling in there."

Velvet rolls her eyes, "are you seriously trying to make it perverted, Co?"

"Please," Coco laughed. "You can make anything perverted if you put a little thought into it…eh?"

"Oh haha, because thought sounds like thot, how original…" Fox bemoans, and then looked at his gift.

He took note that the paper slightly glowed, "at least he was considerate enough to keep to my semblance."

Yats shook his box around, "I think he gave me rocks."

"Oh what, c'mon, this is Naruto we're talking about. He'd give us the shirts off his back. Besides, I saw him dash past me, saying he was late. He told me the other day that he was going to an old friend's place for the holidays this year. Kind of, well sad, I was hoping he'd come and enjoy The Pearl a little bit." Velvet sighed, and shrugged, "but at least he seems happy."

Yatsuhashi nods and sighs as he leans back on his bed, "you know, I don't think he has parents."

"Hmm?" all of his team turn to him.

"I mean, the way he acts and has he ever mentioned them once besides in past tense…I mean it explains why he got a dinner invitation since that's made to celebrate students who had a rough life." Yats points out, and smiled, "maybe we should get him something!"

"I hear a shopping trip!" Coco sang as she got a jacket on.

Velvet then rubbed the back of her head, "well that's the thing, the last transport left."

"No, it didn't, that was just into Vale's city center, The Upper Districts transports don't stop leaving and arriving for another few hours." Coco stretches as she spoke, looking at her team, "well get your lazy asses in gear."

She claps her hands, "hustle people, move those little tight asses!"

Yats was the first out of the room, receiving a butt slap from Coco as he did along with Velvet and Fox before making sure to put the presents in on their shared dresser. Slamming her team door's shut!

* * *

Paloma was closing her studio for the week, yawning as she stretches. She turns to see a familiar blonde, the woman looked at him. He smiled, holding out a gift wrapped in golden wrapping paper.

"Naruto is this for me?" She inquired after locking the door.

The blonde nodded, "yeah, I've been trying to get gifts for everyone. I didn't want to forget my dance instructor. By the way, Ms. Paloma, have a safe trip to Vacuo!"

"I shall, please take care of yourself!" Paloma waved at him as he left.

She hums as she waited until he was out of sight and opened the gift, it was a small mug. She chuckled, it wasn't a love letter at least. Not that she wouldn't mind it, men tried to catch her eye all of them. However, despite Naruto's kind nature, he was much too young for her.

So, it was nice she got a mug. A nice little mug with dancers on it, a very fitting gift in her book. Humming the tune in her head, Back-Road Boys. Walking along the road, stopping for a moment, she could've sworn that she saw a woman with red hair standing on top of the building.

* * *

It was eight thirty, with the train departing in thirty minutes. Naruto quickly tucked a yellow and black hoodie into the sack, intent to wrap it when he got to Patch Town. That was Yang's gift, a warm fleece hoodie, probably a size too big.

Ruby's gift was still on the to-do list, but he was sure he could pick something up in Patch Town. Making it to the underground, scanning his scroll. Naruto got to his train, just as the door closed, it would be a couple hours until the train arrived in Patch Town.

A ride he hasn't taken in quite a while.

Sighing, Naruto then realized something, he had forgotten his suitcase!

 _'_ _This gonna suck now, damn it,"_ Naruto couldn't really afford to buy another round trip ticket. _"Maybe Tai or Qrow has some clothes I can borrow."_

The blonde then took a deep breath, looking around the cabin. He sat next to several people, all of them busy talking amongst each other. He felt alone, very alone, and the realization hit him that he had put his meds in the suitcase.

He knew that the effects of the previous pill he took last night would last until the next morning, but Naruto also knew once it was done working _they_ would have free reign to speak again. Deep breaths, deeper sighs, the blonde calmed himself.

There was no reason to fear them, they couldn't harm him.

He was going to be happy, he wasn't going to let them have free reign, he wouldn't! He couldn't!

Anxiety mounting, Naruto got up from his seat. Walking to the back of the train, staring out into the dark abyss. The under channel tunnel of Patch Town's Terra Express was a feat of engineering rivaling the best examples in Atlas.

Whereas they somehow built within a glacier, Vale had managed to get their heels into the ground.

Focusing on the darkness, Naruto saw the reflection of himself when he was younger. The boy that was filled with anger, hatred, and sadness. But, most of all, it was the loneliness that only increased the void. Though, over time, the void was slowly starting to be filled back up.

He was afraid though, afraid that the darkness would take him, and never find a way back from it. Fear of losing those around him, its why he kept his distance for a very long time. Skittish, just like a normal fox.

Afraid of being hurt, and afraid of other people.

But, slowly, he opened himself up. Ilia was the catalyst, and then it became Qrow and Taiyang. He never outwardly showed it around them, but all the little things they did made him feel wanted. Making him feel like a person, that he mattered. All of them, his friends, all of them doing one thing for him.

Like hewasn't broken anymore.

* * *

Coco took in the air, smelling the smells of thousands of fabrics and perfumes. People brushed past her and her team. Music was playing over the speakers, a melody, not even holiday music. Velvet was thankful for that, there was only so much holiday music she could take.

She looked at the various stores, the various wares, and oh yes…the various brands.

A mall was like a candy shop to a fashionista, a playground made of silks, fleece, and cotton. Wrapped in a gate of colors, feel, and of course…price. Indeed, sweet dreams were made of these, and everyone was looking for something amongst the markets.

Velvet blanched at Coco's drooling, her team leader was in love, only if fashion came in the form of a man. The beret on Coco's head was taken off by its owner, revealing luscious locks of chocolate hair. Shampooed, conditioned, and combed to perfection.

"Vale's mall is like a never-ending dream, it has been a while since I've been in the Upper District one…" Coco took a deep whiff of the air. "Smells like teen spirit."

"You know I'm blind right now right, there are many heat signatures in my vision, this kind of sucks," Fox admitted as he tried to focus through the crowd, which to him was just one giant heat spot in his vision.

Yatsuhashi Daichi looked at their team lead, "what's the budget?"

"Budget? It is the frigging holiday man, get something that comes from the heart!" Coco told him with a serious tone in her voice, bumping her hand in her palm.

Yats then raised his hand, "but its possible that Naruto only spent so much, I mean…we wouldn't want to get something so lavish and make him feel bad."

Growling, Coco turned around and grabbed Daichi's collar, "Oi! We should be spent generously and do what we can for the runt of our quintet. Besides giving him some apparel that will make the ladies turn their heads."

"So, we're trying to get him laid?" Fox inquired in an attempt clarify with Coco.

Velvet blushes a little bit, "you know he's kind of like a brother to me."

"We're not trying to get him laid, we're trying to spice him up a little and make him feel truly welcomed. It's the least we could do, after all, he's got Cardin and his cronies doing right." Coco pointed out while they began to walk around the mall.

Fox nods in agreement with her, though he had to hold her hand in order to walk around the store, his ears worked just fine. Yats and Velvet rubbed the back of their heads, looking at the various stores. The team found a store, going into it.

Fox felt Coco guide him around the store until she spotted something. It was a uniform jacket, black in color with an orange zipper. It wasn't too high in price, plus it was made of a thick fabric. Getting it off the rack, Coco bounces it around in her hand, humming slightly.

"Neat, it's a heavy coat," she put her hands inside of it. "And, it had some hidden pockets in it…hmm."

The Rabbit Faunus smiles, "then we got our winner!"

"Wow, just like that, well I guess you could get it for him. However, I was thinking we could still shop around while we're here. I could use a spring dress." Coco commented while rubbing her nose.

Velvet than pointed her finger accusingly at her best friend, "it's the middle of winter!"

"Hey, Spring could come at any time. But," Coco winked and looked right at Velvet. "Methinks we need to get you some spice too."

"Oh dear…" Velvet's ears drooped slightly.

* * *

Kakashi was running along the rooftops around The Pearl, placing motion detectors set to activate his scroll's alarm. He looked at the setting sun, The Dinner Party would be happening tonight. Taking time to feel of the tanto on his back, he took a deep breath as he straightened out his mask.

"Wolves should stay on the ground…" Kakashi's eyes widened as he rolled forward and dodged Kars as he landed on the roof.

The green energy blade stuck into the ground where Kakashi had been, Kars stood there, looking majestic with his green aura flowing around him as his wings were outstretched. He smirked, pulling the blade from the ground. Dispersing the blade, Kars turned around and watches as Kakashi dodged several knives being guided toward him.

Esidisi landed by him, controlling the knives with his semblance. He pulled them back, away from Kakashi as the head of security for Beacon took a stance, his eyes suddenly widened as a large shadow loomed from above him.

Leaping out of the way Kakashi watches as Wamuu drops down, impacting the ground hard enough to crack it across the roof. His body had itself covered in his semblance. Kakashi looked at them, rolling his eyes as he got his tanto out. The tanto was just a normal tanto, but on the hilt was a dust infuser.

The man flipped his weapon to where he could hold the blade backward and got into a stance, "looks like prison did you some good."

"Yep, but I was on my way to execution and decided to say hi to my old buddy Kakashi…" Kars pointed his energy blade at Kakashi as he spoke.

Kakashi scoffs and charges, "sorry, but I'm not taking visitors!"

Wamuu jumped in front of Kars, using his arms laced with his semblance to block the slashes from Kakashi. But, each hit Kakashi laid into Wamuu's arms led to little nicks and scrapes forming from the electric dust being infused and increasing the cutting power of Kakashi's blade.

Esidisi launched several knives from his fingers, controlling them with his aura strings. The white-haired man facing them all merely jumped back and flipped over a chimney access. Using it to block the incoming knives from Esidisi, who growled and pulled his knives back to rearm them with dust.

Kakashi merely stepped out from his cover, he had both of his hands behind his head. He looked at them all, taking a glance over them, he put his tanto back into its scabbard. All of them growled a little, it was an insult. The insult was obvious, to Kakashi, they weren't worth dirtying his blade.

"You fuck!" Esidisi screamed and launched several knives with green and red blades on them.

Kakashi sighed and stood there as the dust knives impacted his location, a loud explosion erupted!

* * *

Ozpin looked up at the building as he got out of his limo that he was arriving in. Looking at the building as he saw the flames of explosion starting to die, he just scoffed and looked at the security guards around him. They nodded, running toward the building.

Professor Port and Oobleck got out of the limo as well, looking up at the building all the same as Ozpin.

"Tell the guests in the hotel to not worry, everything is under control. Port, if you may," Ozpin nudged his head toward where Kakashi was fighting. "Go help our old friend before he gets himself in a bind."

The burly man nodded, getting his weapon out of the limo and running toward the building with the security guards.

* * *

Esidisi was laughing as he looks into the smoke, seeing no one there. Kars and Wamuu looked toward another building, almost as if someone was there. However, they then turned back to where Kakashi had been.

As the smoke cleared, Esidisi was howling in laughter, "STRIKE OUT! Who's the loser now, Kakashi Hatake! Who's the fucking loser now, a piece of trash!"

"Good grief…" The trio of half-brothers suddenly froze up as Kakashi appeared in the middle of them all. "You act like a bunch of green troops celebrating a Beowulf's death."

"B-but, that should've vaporized you!" Esidisi yells out.

His response was simply getting kicked away by Kakashi who landed a solid kick into the middle brother's face, sending him careening along the roof and smashing through a building's roof access. Landing on his hands Kakashi then launched himself and kicked Kars in the face. It sent the man off the roof, but Kakashi wasn't done as he landed on his feet and formed a Rasengan.

He spun on his heel and slammed the ball of energy into Wamuu's back, the man grunted as he slid backward. However, unlike his brothers, Wamuu stood tall and smirked. Kakashi hummed, not horrified but genuinely surprised at Wamuu's resistance.

"You've gotten stronger Wamuu, unlike your brothers." Kakashi compliments as he dropped into a fighting stance.

Wamuu nods and walks toward Kakashi, "as much as I appreciate the compliment, it is, unfortunately, time to end your life here."

"If it is my time, it's my time. However, I won't go down just because you whisper sweet nothings in my ear," Kakashi snidely replies as he took a deep breath. "Get ready."

Kars flew from behind Kakashi and as Wamuu nodded, they both charged Kakashi at once as Esidisi got out of the access's rubble and roared out. He got several knives from his hidden pockets, attaching aura strings and electric dust to them before throwing them.

Kakashi saw this three-way deadlock attack coming, merely he closed his eyes before slicing the air with his palm. The resulting wave of aura hit the knives and knocked them off course. He stepped to the side to avoid Kars and broke the aura blade of Kar's semblance before jumping up. While he was I the air Kakashi thrusts his palm forward, sending a wave of aura out in a blast of energy that slammed Kars into the roof and through it.

Landing on his feet Kakashi blocked several punches from Wamuu, avoiding the last one in order to grab the man's arm. Throwing him off his shoulder, Kakashi enhanced his strength with the aura around him and slammed Wamuu down the same hole he had sent Kars into it.

Running toward Esidisi, Kakashi sees the man take back control of his knives before sliding across the ground and using aura to help in the endeavor. He avoids the knives before watching The Madman of The Pillar Men Gang roar out and try to send them back in his direction.

Kakashi launches himself from the ground, manipulating the wind around him to knock the knives off course. In his palms, a green glow emerged as he used Gale dust to manipulate the wind and send a combined blast of Gale Dust and aura screaming toward the brother of Kars and Wamuu.

The crow landed on his feet and then stood up tall, "you all still have a lot to learn.'

"Forgive me though, but you've had quite enough fun." Kakashi's eyes widened as Kars appeared behind him a display of speed.

Kakashi barely managed to block the aura blade, but then got surprised as two suddenly emerged from under the roof and grabbed him. Wamuu jumped up, still holding Kakashi's legs before flipping forward and slamming the security guard down with tremendous force.

Smacking his back on the roof, the white-haired man grunts, only to detect movement from behind him. Launching himself upward he turned around and punched Esidisi in the face. When the Pillar Man tried to stab him in the back with a knife he was holding Kakashi merely caught his arm.

Tripping him, Kakashi palm thrusts the older man in the face and stomach before kicking him away once more. Turning around, Kakashi heard a shot ring out and saw Port jumping in with a boisterous war cry.

Port aimed his gun at Kars who flew up in time to avoid the shot.

"Balls, this is quite the pickle Kakashi kind of reminds of the time of my youth when I was surrounded by Beowulfs. Then again," Port smirked as he aimed his gun at Wamuu as he and Kakashi stood back to back. "Beowulfs knew when to run away sometimes."

Both spun around each other, their backs against each other, with Kakashi getting his tanto back out, "I guess they're worthy enough."

"Oh, that's a first Kakashi, but very well then!" Port then merely shouted out as he readied his weapon into its ax form, "come all ye worthy fighters!"

"Kill them both!" Kars yelled to his brothers as he charged, applying aura to his wings to use them as shields.

Like a fallen angel, Kars battled with his wings, blocking Port's ax. Kakashi grunts as he blocked and slashed at Wamuu's arms, still standing back to back with Port. He then saw Esidisi getting back up, readying his knives once again.

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi snidely made Esidisi's presence known. "One trick pony!"

Port saw what Kakashi was talking about out of the corner of his eyes and nodded before shoulder bashing Kars backward. Giving him room enough to suddenly swing his ax at Wamuu. The blade of the ax buried into the man's arm, despite having the semblance activated.

However, if Wamuu's semblance hadn't been activated that arm more than likely would've been cut off. The man screams out in pain, pulling the axe head out of his arm. Slinging it away from him, only for Port to grab his fist. The older man faced down Wamuu, dropping his axe and suddenly reversing the grip in order to get behind The Giant of The Pillar Men Gang.

"Sally, dear, we're going on a trip!" Port roars out as he suplexed the muscular man and went down into the roof of the building.

More than likely falling through several rooms. Kakashi saw this, shaking his head as he tried and led Kars toward Esidisi. The man launches his knives, only to suddenly jerk them a stop when he realized that Kars may end up getting hit.

A fatal mistake.

Kakashi rams Esidisi with tanto. It went through the man's chest and into his heart, the death was almost instantons. The older brother of Kars looked at his brother, a lone tear made its way out of his eye just before Kars impacted him. Esidisi's lifeless body fell from the rooftops, smashing into the streets below.

Snow getting dabs of red on it, like petals in a blank canvas.

Kars looked down as his wings helped him take flight, "brother no!"

Kakashi looked at Kars, "you lot made your choice when you tried to attack me. This was nothing more than an exercise in futility."

The Leader of The Pillar Men Gang sobs out loud, glaring at Kakashi, "I'll get you for this! I'll kill you, you wretch!"

Kars charges Kakashi, who sighed and took a deep breath kicked Kars in the face. Hard enough to make a tooth pop out from the Faunus's mouth and break his aura. Readying a Rasengan, Kakashi was about to slam it into Kars face when a shot rang out.

It put a hole Kakashi's hand since he wasn't paying attention to a threat, his ears filled the cracking of a rifle's gunshot filling the air.

* * *

Santana was laying prone on a building that was standing slightly taller than the ones his brothers had been fighting on. He had seen that bastard Kakashi kill Esidisi before he could line up a shot. He saw the ball of energy disappear from Kakashi's hand as the man jumped back before kicking Kars away.

He placed his hand on the earpiece inside of his right ear, "brothers we need to leave, police are swarming the area!"

 _"_ _But…Esidisi!"_ Kars screamed out over the radio.

Santana growls in response, "made his choice dear brother, but if we stay, we're fucked!"

Getting his semblance on, bending light around him, Santana became invisible to the naked eye as he leaped off the building.

* * *

Wamuu and Port roared out as they wrestled each other, with Wamuu getting beaten back by the older man. Port grabbed Wamuu's leg and slammed him into the ground before getting on top of him throwing jabs into the man's face.

The power of Port's punches was enough to dent the metal skin from Wamuu's semblance. The man then grabbed his hands together sledgehammered them into Wamuu's chest, making the man cough up a wad of blood and groan.

Port gives a war cry as he grabbed Wamuu's legs before spinning him around once and throwing him through the wall of the building. Wamuu fell hard into the snow, looking at Esidisi's body, who just laid there.

He growled, punching the ground, and looked up at Port as Kakashi dropped by the man and handed him his weapon.

"Wamuu!" Kars screams and flew down in time grab his brother before Port could shoot him.

Port curses, aiming up and firing at Kars, only for them to suddenly vanish!

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Port yelled, "damned bastards got away."

"Not all of them," Kakashi walks over toward Esidisi and pulled the tanto from the man's chest. "I took no joy in killing him, but he made his choice."

Sheathing his tanto back into its scabbard, Kakashi got his scroll and called all channels with the tab named SECURITY in all capitals.

"This is Kakashi Hatake, Beacon's head of security. Assailants pushed back, all escaped but one, two are currently on the loose with a possible third. Please comb the area, and track of designated VIP Silver Owl. Currently, the party is clear to continue, with a low threat level of further attacks." Kakashi concluded with a sigh, "signing off."

He clicked the discontinue button, looking at Port, "you're getting rusty, old man."

"Please," Port stretched as he spoke. "I beat that Sally Buttercup with a God's honest smile on my face."

The two looked at one another, Port broke the silence, "think they'll be back?"

Kakashi nods, "yes, but they'll be down an annoying member who was in over his head."

"They'll be after blood Kakashi," Port said while they began to walk away from the scene as cops flood the area. "You did take one of their own."

Kakashi sighed, "he made his choice."


	20. Episode Twenty: Holiday Part three

Dove had been concerned at the beginning of the night when he had heard about a fight just happening across the street. However, upon reassurance from Ozpin, he had decided that it was safe enough for him and his mother to attend. Both mother and son walked along a red carpet, attending the invent with grace.

Opening the door for them the doorman smiled and nodded his head, "good evening sir."

"Good evening to you to…Jeeves," Dove reads the man's nametag. "Say, is the party starting?"

"Of course, sir, the lovely dining area is set to the very right upon entrance. You'll find some of the most exquisite food to satiate your taste palate. Amazing treats of festival candies, chocolates, and even licorice." Jeeves told Dove and his mother, "and roasted duck."

"Oi Jeeves, don't forget the hogs mate, stuffed and glazed with natural honey. My family is inside lad, if you see a little girl named Tiara, tell her papa says hi!" The other doorman, one with a heavy accent spoke with a smile, "My name's Jarvis by the way."

"Oh wow," Dove's mom looked at them both. "You both kind of look like the T.V characters Jeeves and Jarvis Wilhelm."

"Of course, that's who we play missy. But, quickly you two, spirit yourselves into a world of great splendor. For the night is young madame and your son is not getting any younger either." Dove shot the man a playful glare as he escorted his mother inside.

Dove's eyes lit up as he saw people everywhere, people from all over Beacon Academy. He saw Velvet dancing with Daichi in the ballroom just in front of the entrance. Obviously, the hotel had been made to accommodate the many more guests than they usually had. The Huntsman in training walked with pride, wearing his Sunday's best with a smile.

Daichi dipped Velvet playfully while they took notice of Dove escorting his mother toward the dance floor, "Dove, hey Dove buddy!"

The giant teen greeted them, "welcome to the party, so who's this lady you got around your arm."

Dove's mom giggles, "you flatter me, young man, I'm his mother. My name is Carlita Bronzewing, nice to meet you too, I need to make my son get a girlfriend like you got right there!"

"Ma!" Dove blushes as crosses his arms, "Vel and Yats aren't a couple."

Yats and Velvet laugh a little, capitalizing on seeing Dove embarrassed for once. They then looked at one another and smiled as they offered their hands out.

"It's a group dance, we need two more, Ms. Bronzewing may you join us?" Velvet politely inquires while holding her hand out for the woman to take.

"Why certainly young Vel," Carlita nods and takes the girls hand. "But, be warned, I'm spry for a middle-aged woman."

Velvet laughs a little bit, "well you're certainly a sweetheart."

Suddenly they stopped when Velvet felt a tap on her shoulder, it was another rabbit Faunus with white ears, he smiled. Velvet nearly screeched, stopping the group and then wrapping the young man in a tight hug.

"Little brother," Velvet lovingly hugs him and gave him a little noogie. "Why didn't you tell me you're were gonna come in Bugs?"

"Wait," Dove nearly laughed, "our brother is named Bugs?!"

"Actually," Bugs pushed his glasses up and smiles. "My name is Frank Bugsy Scarlatina."

"Oh, so I see why she calls you Bugs," Dove rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Indeed, Velvet may I join your group dance big sis?" He asked while offering his hands out.

Yats laughed, "of course little guy!"

Coco was sitting at the bar, enjoying a nice coconut cocktail, by her was Fox. The poor lad was needing to be led around by her, but he wasn't a bad dancer so long he didn't knock over other people by accident. The auburn haired teen leans back, sighing a little, and looks in Velvet's direction with his glowing eyes.

"Do you think her and Yats will hook up, good Gods knows that they had the hots for each other. I mean," Coco blew a loose strand out of her hair, "look at them, a legit family unit out there."

"Is that jealousy I hear from you, Coco? For shame," Fox chided playfully, leaning on the bar.

She growls at him, "and says the Huntsman in training that needs me to lead his blind ass around."

"Least I have an ass," he mumbled, but slyly looked at her.

"What the fuc…wait, oh-oh you almost got me there. Ha-ha-ha, very funny." Coco stuck her tongue out at him.

Fox laughed a little bit, "you know…even though I can't see you for what you look like, you probably look really cute doing that."

Coco coughs and blushes slightly, turning back and slamming her drink down. She looks at Dove, taking his hands. He gave a surprised yelp as she drags him toward the dance floor, intent to use him as a battering ram to make Yats and Velvet fall into each other and suck face.

The bartender was Port, who boisterously laughs, "eh Kakashi? Need another round for that hand my friend."

"No," Kakashi finished his latest drink quickly enough that it didn't even look like he removed his mask. "I need to get some rest."

"Aye," Port held up a bottle in his honor. "To a battle well fought."

"hear-hear," Kakashi cheered less joyously.

* * *

Cardin was setting the family table; his friend Russel was also helping out. The two boys worked around each other, in tandem. They had been this way since they were kids, but Cardin smiled at Russel as the teen finished setting the table.

"Mom, dad, friends! Presenting the legendary cook that is Russel Thrush!" Cardin yells out as he presented Russel's assortment of food on the table.

The family laughed and joyfully took their places around the table, "well-done lads."

"So, Cardin dear, how has your first year in Beacon going so far?" Cardin's mother inquires as she took a seat at the head of the table.

The young man smiled, "very interesting. I'm sure…you all heard I started off as a team leader."

"Ah yes, I heard. Damn shame they exchanged your place out for some flea carrying human wannabe." Cardin's father spoke, disregarding his tact.

"Father…he's not like that, I screwed up. I got in, doing stupid stuff, and I got what was coming to me. Without Naruto I'd been home a lot sooner rather than the holidays, Faunus or Human, I owe him big time…so please mince your words." Cardin glares at his father, "no offense pops."

Cardin's father grumbled, beginning to dig into the dish that Russel had prepared, "you know Russel if being a Huntsman doesn't work out for you, you could always be a chef."

Sighing, Russel nodded and then took a deep breath before eating his food, "I had thought about it."

"And leave Beacon, pfft, you're in a high paying career once your graduate in four years. Plus, you can always be a chef during your tenure. Food brings upon good women, Russel, you ought to get into the dating scene." Russel's mother tells her son, eating her ham glazed with honey.

Russel just sighed, _'I wish you could understand me…'_

"Russel, dear, something wrong?" Russel's mother inquires, playing with her blonde hair a little.

Russel shook his head, "no mother, nothing is wrong."

Cardin looked at his friend, _'you've got nothing to be ashamed about buddy…just say it.'_

The teen sighs, looking at his friend. They began to go back to eating dinner. But Russel continued to play with his plate, just looking at his food while taking small bits into his mouth. Wondering how their team leader was holding up on his journey into Patch.

* * *

Weiss was having dinner with her sister, she had chosen to go and visit Winter who was currently assigned in Vacuo. A good location, she rarely got to feel warm climates, and the heat of the air was refreshing to the young heiress. The rest of the world was in process of getting ready to celebrate the holiday. She, on the other hand, was already enjoying a dinner with her favorite part of the family.

"So, dear sister, how has Beacon been for you?" Winter inquires as she lightly sips her coffee.

Weiss nodded, "it hasn't been too horrible. I got put on a team with a pair of annoying sisters and an avid bookworm."

"Ahh, well, Ozpin works in mysterious ways. However, I must inquire, are there people there that you would consider friends?" The older Schnee looked down at the younger.

The younger Schnee thought it over for a moment, "I guess despite her annoyance Ruby Rose can be seen as a friend."

"Ah, lovely, now I know who you are paired with. You see, I know her uncle, and if anything, he always brags about her. Don't let her energetic personality fool you, Ruby is trained by someone that has beaten me in combat before…much to my own chagrin." The military instructor sighs as she placed her empty coffee cup on a small plate, a waiter coming over to get it.

"Lady Schnee," the waiter greets as he takes the coffee cup. "More coffee, or may I start requesting the chefs making appetizers for you and your sister?"

"Appetizers sound lovely. I believe we will have an order of blue cheese and pear tartlets, and Fig and Olive Tapenade." Winter ordered while waiter nods his head, "sound lovely dear sister?"

"It does," Weiss nodded and smiled.

The waiter walks away to place their orders, leaving the sisters to enjoy each other's company. Winter hummed slightly as she looked out into the ocean, they, after all, were eating oceanside in what of the best restaurants in all of Vacuo.

The Capital of Vacuo, Vacuo city may have been a desert wasteland by their own design, but the beach resort towns and villages were a dream with a big budget. In fact, Vacuo's economy, besides Dust Mining, relied heavily on tourism.

It was number one in the world for a reason, but it could lose that spot to Menagerie one day if that country ever got its act together. Winter didn't exactly have a love for The White Fang, but she didn't hate the Faunus that served in it.

A lot of them, much like a former student of hers, was misguided by rage.

Rage was the catalyst for hatred, and because of it

"So," Winter brought out her scroll and pulled up a picture. "I'm guessing you know who created this?"

Weiss was looking at the picture, seeing that it was a portrait of her. She then noted a little symbol at the bottom right, a black swirl with orange paint to make it stand out. It looked very similar to the symbol a fellow student had, and then she recognized it.

"No…he did that, Namikaze?" Weiss was stunned as she inquires, "I knew he was an artist, but he's got every detail."

"Mmhmm, I put in a request just this morning for one James Ironwood, even sent a picture of the good general. So, something tells me that you are not wanting to head back home." Winter said while getting another coffee handed to her.

Weiss nods, "I can't stand how father has run our name into the ground. Mother isn't better, she drinks in the garden all day, while he pretty much teaches Whitley all of the wrong things about business."

"Your position as heiress is threatened," Winter admits to her sister. "But do not fret if father misguidedly removes you. I'll make sure you get to fulfill your dreams of being a Huntress, its liberating isn't it?"

"A little," Weiss drinks her coffee, "but with Whitley taking over…I fear our family company will go into the ground before I'm even old enough to consider continuing the bloodline."

"Truth be told Weiss grandfather wouldn't want us to stay in the idea of being good at one thing, we should be good at all things, through blood and sweat. Grandfather built his first mines by hand, and he worked in the tunnels before being able to move on up in the world. That's what our family likes, the same type of discipline that you and I adhere to today." The oldest Schnee child speaks with truth and fact, "and it is sad."

Weiss huffs and then looked at her reflection in the fine silverware, "well, I guess we'll just have to forge our own destinies from here on out."

"Agreed," Winter and Weiss cling their coffee cups together. "To manifest destiny."

"Yes, dear sister, manifest destiny." Weiss agreed just as their platters started to arrive.

* * *

Glynda was laying across a lounge chair, in a bikini, wearing sunglasses over her eyes as she laid down in the sunlight. She had tanning oil on her, Peach be damned, she was going to get that tan that she always wanted.

As a few men walked by, a few very good looking men, she lowered her sunglasses down and smiled. Glynda wasn't a perverted woman, but she knew when someone fit her tastes, perhaps indulgence wouldn't too bad while on this vacation? Maybe, maybe not, but who cares.

 _'_ _This is the life, no children to watch over. No Arc to yell at for not using his damn shield to defend himself, no sleeping Namikaze, no holes getting put in my floor by an ultra-violent blonde. Ahh,"_ she snuggled in her chair, _'this is the life."_

She yawns, relaxing in that lounge chair as if it was a soft nimbus cloud. She then felt a buzz coming from her handbag that laid against the lounge chair, she looked down, grabbing the scroll from out of it.

It was Ozpin, texting her.

 _"_ _Just had an incident with The Pillar Men Gang. Kakashi is injured, any chance you might be able to cut your vacation a little short?"_ The text read, with Glynda looking at it.

She chuckled, she then held it in her palm before using her semblance to blast the device into the ocean.

"Oops," she chuckles as she got back to relaxing. "Looks like my scroll got lost at the airport, what a shame…"

* * *

Music was playing inside a large estate home, Taiyang was cooking the roast, along with some ham this year. He was looking at Qrow, who was playing Sorry with the girls and currently just decimating them. Ruby was still with all of her pieces, Blake just finally got her second piece in, and Yang was just one piece away from victory.

However, so was Qrow.

"So, who's this guy playing dad?" Ruby inquires while looking toward her dad.

Taiyang laughs, "well my little Rose this is King-Easy come easy go."

Qrow takes a swig from his flask, he laughed, "he and Short-Stack used to listen to this song when they were by themselves."

Yang just rolled her eyes, "uncle, that's a little TMI."

"Well get your head out of the gutter Ms. TMI, I didn't mean it that way. In fact, he and Short-Stack loved classic rock." Qrow laughs as he took another swig, "what about you, Blake, classic rock lover?"

"No, I'm more of a pop girl," Blake admits as she moved her piece after drawing her card.

Taiyang took a taste test of the roast, "darn, needs more salt."

"You could get some off Ruby, she's really _salty_ right now." Yang punned at her sister's expense, who groaned.

In the living room, just right next to the kitchen, a tree was full of presents. Qrow was looking at them, watching the fire bristle in the fireplace. Taiyang hummed as the song picked up the pace, he looked at the window and out into the cold weather.

Ruby yawns and stretches, "my back is sore, I think I'm going to head to bed."

"So, you forfeit kiddo?" Qrow inquires as he draws his card, "ooh back to start Yang."

"Damn it!" Yang roars out, "why can't you just pick on Blake a little bit."

"Hey-hey-hey!" Blake waves her hands around, "you can keep picking on Yang, she does _not_ speak for me."

Taiyang rolled his eyes, "Ruby."

"Oh yeah, Yang, swear jar." Ruby used her semblance to casually run and get the jar and hold it up by Yang.

"Fudge sticks…" Yang mumbled, getting a quarter out and placing it into the jar.

"Well at least I got to win in something," Ruby stretches as she looked at her sister. "Right, Yang?"

"Sure, thing _sore_ loser." Yang once again punned, making everyone groan.

Blake looked at them, smiling, "I kind of wish I had a sister. My father is always working all the time, and my mom is too…"

"Aww," Yang pats Blake's shoulder. "I and Ruby can be your sisters!"

"We kind of are, you know, since we're on the same team and everything." Ruby points out and smiled, "besides I need a bookworm for a sister."

"Hey! You learned how to build your weapons from me, little girl, don't get uppity." Yang poked Ruby's cheek, making the girl groan.

"So, dad, where's Zwei?" Ruby inquires as she got up to go and get her pajamas.

"Oh, Zwei, he's in your room. He's not been feeling well, poor puppy, so I just stuck him somewhere to where he didn't feel too excited…don't want to clean up puke again." Taiyang admitted as he then smiled at Ruby, "hey Ruby gives this to him."

He handed Ruby a small bone, "it's from a rib platter I had the other day, I just finished eating the leftovers this morning."

"Okay dad, love you," Ruby says as she hugged him and went toward the stairs.

Blake took a deep breath, _'thank God, I'm not a dog fan.'_

Qrow looked at his scroll, "still haven't gotten a call from him, do you think he changed his mind?"

"No," Taiyang finished preparing the roast to cook overnight in the crockpot.

"Well, I'm just saying, he's always bouncing around the offers…until now." Qrow replies as he looked at his scroll, "despite being a good kid."

"Kid," Yang and Blake looked at Qrow, "who are you talking about uncle?"

"Well back in Signal that one student that always fell asleep, he asked if he could celebrate the holidays here." Qrow hinted toward a particular person.

Blake blinked, "well I didn't go to Beacon, but I know someone who's always asleep…but passes with flying colors."

"That'd be the one, at first I thought he was lazy and cheating," Taiyang admits as he walked over toward the fridge and checked the homemade banana pudding.

Qrow nodded, "and then he continued to pass his tests, over and over. We _all_ assumed he was cheating."

"But then we tested him with a surprise test, he passed that one with flying colors. He wasn't cheating, he recorded everything we said while he slept. Turns out the kid worked a full-time job while going to school in Signal. He's been invited over here so many times before, but never took up the offer…well until he asked just a few days ago." Qrow further explained as he nudged his head back and forth.

Taiyang hummed, "he's probably somewhere out in the snow making his way here…he was never one to be late."

* * *

Naruto was currently making a journey through the forest, he hadn't forgotten about Red Flower. Luckily enough, he didn't seem to need it, but the sack he had on his back was full of the presents he was going to give to other people.

Yawning, he looked dark forest. To humans they would be darker than black, to him, it was like wearing sunglasses on a bright day. Colors were dulled of course, but he could see clearly. He knew where Tai lived, it just happened to be all the way out in the boonies.

Lucky.

Stopping at a stream Naruto bends down to fill his canteen. It was just a few hours until the actual day for the holiday was to begin. Swigging the canteen down, Naruto gave a hearty cough when some of the water went down the wrong pipe.

"Damn…it…hate that." He breathes, clearing his throat.

Licking his lips, the blonde Faunus just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He was being careful not to get muddy since he was in his one pair of clothing for the trip. Snow fell in the dead forest, giving it an eerie appearance despite it being a joyous time of year.

Naruto walks along the forest path, he could see property signs nearby. It showed the property names and the path that a person needed to go on to get to the said property. He was close, he was finally close. Jogging along the trail, he came upon the sign he was looking for.

"Rose-Xiao-Long Property"

Still using his night vision Naruto walked along the trail, yawning, he was exhausted.

He had wrapped all of the gifts up last night. Finding a great, and cheap, gift for Ruby. The blonde Faunus had his ears sticking up to hear all the little things around him. He stopped when he sore, he heard a woman humming.

Never noticing the bright spirit behind a tree, behind him. It was a woman of long flowing red hair, she had a beautiful round face. She saw that he was cold, weary from his walk. Walking up to him she merely wrapped her hands around him and smiled.

Naruto's eyes widened as he felt something warm around but couldn't see what it was. But the warmth felt familiar, he stopped, he could see the estate in the distance. He felt his energy coming back to him, and strangely, he felt at peace.

The spirit seemed to whimper as she kissed the back of the boy's head before slowly drifting away.

* * *

 _Naruto was sitting at a table, looking at the gifts that were wrapped up. He had managed to wrap them, barely, they looked really beat up. Kushina walked in, seeing her son's gifts. She smiled and rubbed his ears with a chuckle._

 _The blonde child looked up at his fiery mother, smiling as she lovingly strokes his ears._

 _"_ _Naruto…if anything should ever happen to me, my precious sapphire eyed child…just know no matter how alone you feel." She bent and kissed the back of his head, "you'll never be truly alone."_

 _"_ _Okay mama," Naruto mumbles, and looked up at her, "I love you."_

 _"_ _I love you too…" She wrapped her arms around him from behind._

* * *

"Mom?!" Naruto turned as the feeling of warmth went away.

All that was behind him was the empty snow-filled forest of dead trees. He felt the back of his head, where it was the warmest. He looked at the ground just seeing his footsteps, no one else. Standing there, Naruto took a deep breath before looking out into the forest.

"I love you too," he said as he held his right fist out into the forest. "And I'm not giving up just yet, it won't win…not without a fight, Dattebayo."

"So," Naruto took a deep breath. "Happy Holiday mom…see you around."

He gathered himself, wiping the few tears that had broken away from his eyes and began to walk up toward the estate once more. Finally, after the incredible two-hour walk in the cold, Naruto reached the front door.

Knocking on it, he took a deep breath and smiled as Taiyang opened it.

"Hey there blondie, bout time you made here, what's all that?" Tai inquired.

"Its just holiday gifts, as a thank you for this. Um," Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "can I come in?"

The older blonde chuckled, "don't know, can you?"

Rolling his eyes Naruto merely watches as Taiyang stepped aside to let him enter. Everyone turned to him, he smiled and waved at them. Yawning, he placed the bag down on the ground.

"Sorry I was late getting here, been one heck of a walk. Though to be fair I got to see some nice deer running around on the property just a couple miles from here. There was this buck there, I'm talking huge." Naruto broke the ice, describing his walk there.

"You didn't see any Grimm?" Qrow inquires and smiled, "that's good."

"Nah no Grimm, y'all playing Sorry, mind if I join in the next game?" Naruto asks as he removed his shoes.

"No probs," Qrow pulled his card and moved his final piece into the "safe space" and smiled. "And chalk another victory up for Q-daddy."

Blake rolls her eyes, smiling as Naruto joined them at the table, "so how was the weather outside?"

"It's cold, I was having a very difficult time keeping to the trail in the snow. I think I accidentally wandered onto someone else's property a couple of times. Oh well, not like I was poaching or anything." Naruto yawns and stretched, removing his heavy jacket to set on the chair behind him.

Yang laughed, "you could say you were walking on _snow_ road."

She expected a groan, but to her surprise, Naruto just chuckled while everyone else groans. For some reason, she felt flustered, it wasn't like anybody laughed at her puns. However, they never really laughed at ones directed at themselves.

Naruto looked at Qrow, "well you going to deal winner, or am I going to beat you in that too?"

"Ooh, little spunky aren't ya. Alright then," Qrow began to shuffle the cards and placed them back on the board.

"Draw."


	21. Episode Twenty One: Holiday ending

**_(Can I ask you a question? What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving, I know I'm a couple of days late with this chapter. However, I am thankful for almighty God for getting me through another year. Between my depression, and my family life not exactly being the best, I take solace in the fact that a strong challenge makes a better character._**

 ** _I'm thankful for my father, and the few friends I've made here._**

 ** _I'm thankful for finally reaching a thousand followers in my stories, something I worked hard on the past three years._**

 ** _So, I'm thankful for the people that make life worthwhile and chase away the darkness._**

 ** _To close this out…I would like to leave a quote._**

 _"_ _Another definition of a hero is someone who is concerned about other people's well-being and will go out of his or her way to help them. Even if there is no chance of a reward. That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do is indeed, without a doubt, a real superhero."_

 _-Stan Lee._

 ** _Fly high, and may your wings spread wide!_**

 ** _Excelsior!_**

* * *

Blake was stretching as she got up, walking toward the kitchen to get a glass of water. Passing up a past up Naruto and Qrow who were asleep at the table. Slobber ran down their mouths onto the table, in between them was a house of cards. They had begun playing when Yang lost to Naruto and Qrow in Sorry.

Taiyang had joined them, but upon not even been able to stack one card showed where Yang and Ruby got their losing behavior from. Excusing himself from the table, he went upstairs to bed. Blake had temporarily joined them, offering a game of poker.

Naruto decimated them in poker.

So, she suggested they play a game of stacking cards, thusly their current situation. Naruto and Qrow were not half bad, but no one can beat Blake in her house of cards. She filled a glass she pulled from the cupboard up to the brim, swallowing the liquid down with greedy gulps.

 _'_ _That hit the spot,'_ Blake thinks to herself and places the glass in the dishwasher.

Walking into the living room she yawns, sitting on the couch. Looking at the fireplace she saw a woman that looked very similar to Ruby standing by Taiyang in an old sepia photograph. She frowned, noting that the gravestone outside only meant one thing.

Ruby lost her mother, and also Yang. Though if that was Yang's mother she definitely took more after her father. She yawns, getting up and walking over toward the decorated tree, seeing all the presents for her teammates, even a few for her.

However, turning to the door, she saw the sack that Naruto had brought. Walking over to it out of curiosity she picks up the sack, opening to look inside. She saw the presents…a lot of them, in fact, the nametag on each indicated there was enough for everyone.

But, why?

Didn't he have any family to go home to, why come here, why buy so much stuff for them? She then took a look further into the sack, finding a gift addressed to her. She felt something tingle inside of her, a warm fuzzy feeling, but it wasn't love.

It was the feeling of being acknowledged, of being apart of something. Something she had felt once, it was misguided, all the youthful rage she had when she was younger was quickly extinguished over the course of time.

She sighs, _'you weren't obligated to bring gifts…but I am curious to what you got me.'_

"Zwei!" Ruby calls as Blake suddenly hears stomping from upstairs.

She froze up as she heard the pitter patter of four legs running across the floor. She stood there, frozen, as she felt hot breath at the bottom of her foot. Looking down slowly she saw the assailant of her foot was the form of a salt and pepper corgi.

Ruby finally made it downstairs, "hey Blake!"

"H-h-h-hey R-Ru-Ruby," Blake shook out as she looked down at the adorable little dog. "So, um, can you help me out here?"

"What do you mean Blake, Zwei's a good boy, here buddy come to momma." Ruby knelt, and the dog went running over to her, jumping into her arms.

He licked her face, making her giggle.

"Who's the best puppy, you are. My little fluffy butt doggo, you are! Mah, mah, mah!" Ruby kisses her dogs head as he panted and gave small barks of joy.

Ruby got her snow boots on, she looked at Blake, "wanna come outside with me?"

"Uh…I'm good thinks," Blake replies as she stretches but still kept an eye on Zwei.

Ruby shrugged, "alright then, c'mon Zwei, pee-pee out!"

Ruby opened the front door, walking out with Zwei to take him out so he could use the bathroom. Blake sighed, relieving herself of the breath she held when the dog came up to her. She then heard another pair of footsteps, it was Yang.

Yang came down the stairs, wearing black sweatpants and a yellow crop top with her emblem over her left breast. She yawns, looking at Blake and waving at her.

"Hey, you, get some good sleep?" Yang walks over to Blake, punching her arm a little bit.

Blake nodded, "yeah, guess whose asleep at the table."

"I know, Qrow and Naruto, they passed out on Qrow's turn. I found it hilarious, almost used the old warm water trick." Yang says while stretching, jumping up on her toes for a moment to pop her back.

Blake giggled, "I don't think Naruto would've been happy about that."

"Meh, semantics, I'm mostly aiming at uncle dearest." Yang casually states while walking toward the couch with Blake.

Yang looked at the T.V and grabbed the remote from the couch as she flops down. Turning the tele on they saw that it was left on a cartoon, Fluff Tom Round Pants. Rolling her eyes Yang turns the channels over toward a movie, finding a Spruce Willis movie.

Blake perks up, "I like Spruce Willis, you?"

"Like my celebrity crush," Yang teases as she leans back into the couch. "Kill Hard Two: Kill Harder."

"And they say people think this isn't a holiday movie, fools," Blake comments as she leans back and watches the movie with her friend.

Suddenly a loud snore echoed throughout the room, and the sounds of cards falling off the table awaken two sleeping beauties from the table. Qrow saw the cards all in a pile. He fidgeted, looking up at Naruto, who only groans.

"Fu…" both groan at the same time.

Qrow was the first to stumble out of the chair, he swayed over to the chair in the living room and flopped down on it before passing back out. As he began to snore Blake just got a clothespin and put it over his nose.

"Wow Blake, you just made it a silent night." Yang puns while continuing the movie.

Naruto picks up the cards, stacking them back up and putting them in a box. He gets a paper towel from the center of the table, using it to wipe his and Qrow's drool from their sleep. He yawns loudly, groaning as several loud pops emanated from his back as he gets up. Walking over toward the couch, more specifically the fireplace he flops down on the floor by it.

Absorbing the heat. The blonde Fox Faunus looked at them, smiling slightly as he snuggled on the carpet as he watches the movie.

Ruby came back in, opening the door wide so Zwei could run in first. The dog was supposed to make a beeline for her room but instead beelined straight at the blonde on the floor. The Fox Faunus giggled slightly as the dog tackled him a little bit.

The youngest of the family just groans at Zwei, "oh, Zwei…c'mon buddy."

The dog barked in protest, snuggling up to Naruto a little, "I think he likes me, Ruby."

"No duh," Blake groans as she scooted on the couch as far as she could from the dog.

The blonde Faunus merely watched as Zwei walked his nose up his face, and toward his fox ears. The teen laughs as he made his stand up, flopping them side to side as Zwei tried to play bite them. Ruby couldn't help it, she was laughing as she Zwei dive forward and roll after missing Naruto's ears.

Naruto finally relented, letting the dog nibble on his right fox ear. Blake just looked at it, mystified on how Naruto couldn't resist just little one of his Faunus traits being used as a chew toy. However, a bright flash came from Ruby as she got her scroll out, taking a picture of it.

"Totally going on my ValeBook wall, Yang, look at this!" Ruby calls over.

Yang had already been noticing, she wasn't being subtle on her leering, though Naruto didn't take notice as he closed his and laughs when Zwei tried to lick his ear. Moving them away from the dog, which only illicit more barking and playful growling.

The blonde teenage girl was just finding it cute.

"Say chew toy," Yang looked at him. "Every owned a pet?"

"Nope," Naruto answered as he picked up Zwei like a baby before hopping up to his feet. "But I do love my fellow canines."

"I thought dogs and foxes were different?" Yang inquired, trying to recall basic biology.

"Meh," he looked right into her and smiled, " _semantics_."

Yang puffed her cheeks out, "damn you and your huge fluffy ears."

"Wait," Ruby caught on, "you were awake?!"

"Call it years of sleep deprivation and willpower. I can last on two hours a day if need be, at worse I can go a couple of days." Naruto yawns and looked at them, "but I was asleep until I heard Blake wake up."

"How did you know it was Blake?" Yang questioned, curious to know.

Naruto chuckled, "because the footsteps were a lot closer when they started then they were if you were walking, Yang."

"Wow," Ruby was enthralled as Naruto handed her Zwei, "so is it like your semblance?"

"Nope," Naruto rubbed the back of his sheepishly. "I haven't unlocked my semblance yet."

"Oh, that sucks," Ruby commented as she bounced Zwei in her arms. "Well, I gotta put him up."

"Okay, well, I guess we could get ready to open presents as soon as dad gets up Ruby," Yang told her sister, watching the short girl quickly make her way up the stairs using her semblance.

The blonde then turned to Naruto who seemed to have a frown come on his face slightly, "you alright?"

"Yeah," Naruto sighed and then smiled. "I need some fresh air though."

"Oh yeah, of course, I'll be back in a few minutes." He replied to Yang, getting his shoes on.

"Well, alright then, need some company?" Yang asks while getting up from the couch, "I really could use a run myself."

Naruto got nervous, slightly red in the face, he then shrugs. "I don't see why not."

* * *

Coco woke up in the hotel's many beds, yawning while stretching. Wearing her birthday suit, she gets up from the bed. Looking at the familiar scarlet haired teen she had on her team. His dark skin heavily contrasted with the bed's silky white sheets.

She looked at him, smiling a little bit as she got dressed. It wasn't the first time they hooked up, but they both weren't really looking for anything serious. A more or less friends with benefits situation. He yawns, looking up at her as he opens his up.

"Shit…" he moaned and saw that room was cold enough to make her out, "how was it?"

"Amazing as usual," she giggled and walked over before planting a kiss on his forehead. "By the way Fox you've been studying that _one_ _book_ , haven't you?"

"A little," he admits without guilt in his voice. "You know Coco, its kind of hard to hide _this_ from Velvet and Yats all the time."

True," Coco put her finger to her lips, posing while thinking. "But, isn't it fun?"

"It really is fun," Fox laughs as he leans up, "though you did scratch my back a little bit."

"Ooh, poor baby~" she moans and lightly kissed his neck, "I should've given you a little love bite."

He laughs, she knew his neck was ticklish, "well all is fair I guess?"

"It really is, C'mon, we need to get some breakfast." Coco got her shoes on, " the last one down is an ugly fox."

"You're on…wait a minute!" Fox yells as he gets up, quickly trying to put clothes on.

* * *

Kakashi was curious, walking toward Team C.R.D.N's dorm room. There he found that Naruto had left his stuff in a rush. Sighing, he had to give the kid props, the boy managed to be an ace student, but wasn't above forgetting this. The older man looked at the bags, full of clothing.

Noting that his pill bottle made an indent in the back of the bag, "Ah…idiot."

He yawns, walking out of the room, calling Naruto's scroll as he did so.

No answer.

Shrugging, Kakashi made his way back to his office. There as he opened the door, inside of his newly received mug, steaming hot cocoa awaited him. Sitting at his desk and pulling down his mask. The man leans back in his chair, sipping on the contents.

Giving a hearty sigh, feeling the liquid warm his very soul, Kakashi chuckled as he saw the writing on the cup. He then looked at the picture of his family, the ones he had lost, he smiled at seeing his long gone daughter's smile.

 _'_ _Happy holidays my little wolf,'_ Kakashi mentally told his daughter. _'I'll see you again…someday.'_

A knock came at Kakashi's door, he merely let out a deep breath, "come in."

The door opened, revealing Ozpin, who walks over and takes a seat in the chair in front of his desk. The fellow silver-haired man was sipping on some hot cocoa himself. Looking at the mug Kakashi had been given.

"So," Ozpin starts as he looked at Kakashi with a smile. "It seems that Namikaze is very open toward you."

"He is," Kakashi agrees as he placed the mug down onto the desk, "he's a good kid from a bad life."

"Well, it seems like he's making a turnaround here. Hopefully, it can keep up, I know what its like to just want the world to let you go, but the world doesn't always want to let you go either." Ozpin says while placing his thermos on the desk coaster.

Ozpin then looked at Kakashi's hand, noting that it was already healed up, "I am always stunned at how fast your aura heals you."

"Well," Kakashi chuckled a little, "it is my semblance."

"So, what's the pan for the rest of the week? With the hotel party now over, the instructors and I are planning to go have a few drinks." Ozpin laughs a little bit, "you should come with us."

"Ah, sounds nice, but I'm not much of a drinker. Rain check on that one Ozpin," Kakashi picked up his mug and took another sip out it. "Besides, someone still has to keep Beacon secure as its staff gets plastered once a year."

"Hear-hear!" Ozpin lightly cheered.

* * *

"I thought you said you were walking?!" Yang yells as she watches Naruto jump between trees, trying her best to keep up with him.

The blonde ran backward, hopping from tree to tree, "this is walking for me."

"Jeez!" Yang breathes out in anger as she tried to sprint and keep up.

Naruto stopped hopping tree to tree, landing on the snowy ground with a small slide to slow down completely. He chuckled a little bit, rubbing the back of his head. He was never one to admit things openly, but the country air of Patch was a godsend to him.

He loved it, more so that smog of the city. In fact, if he ever got the money, he was going to move out to Patch when he got done with his training as a Huntsman. The blondes looked at one another, one looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion, while the other looked barely winded once so ever.

"What are you, a frigging machine or something?" Yang questions, clutching her knees while breathing hard.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I train most of the time when I'm by myself. I think I do about five hours of combat training a day."

"Like every day?! That's insane damn it, you're going to break yourself before a Grimm ever has a chance. I mean seriously, slow down a little," Yang breathes as she finally caught wind and stood up straight. "You're strong enough as it is."

"Untrue," Naruto crosses his arms. "One can always be stronger."

She rolled her eyes, "well that's big talk coming from a dancer."

"Hey!" Naruto yelps as he points a finger at her, "my dancing goes into my fighting style."

"Here I thought you were trying to pick up that good looking instructor," Yang winks at him, making him blush. "Ooh does someone have an older crush~"

"N-no," Naruto stutters as he blushes a little bit more. "I mean Paloma is beautiful, but she's too old for. Besides, I'm more focused on becoming a Huntsman right now."

"Speaking of that, you had the chance to get rid of Cardin and his goons…why didn't you take it?" Yang suddenly changed the line of questioning around, trying to find out why he kept them around.

Naruto hummed a little bit, "it's a bit complicated."

"Well," Yang looked around them. "We're out in the middle of the woods, in the dead of winter."

"True…" Naruto gave in and sighs, "I felt sorry for them."

"Eh?!" Yang screeches surprised to hear someone actually feeling sorry for those goons.

"I really don't get it myself, sometimes I hit my head on the wall because they still screw up time to time. But," Naruto thought about Dove and Russel, "there's a couple of them that deal with hidden pain…pain that easy to write off when someone doesn't talk about it."

 _"_ _Oh please, you're the biggest hypocrite."_ Naruto felt a whisper in the back of his head, _"why don't you just go home with your pity party bullshit…no one cares."_

Naruto pushes pasts the voice in his head, "and besides I can relate to them in a way. Life sucks, it beats you over the head, but that doesn't mean we get to lash out at other people."

"There's no excuse for that, what someone does to you shouldn't define who you are in the long run. I see it every day, someone justifying their negativity with past trauma, but all things have to fade away. I tree doesn't keep its leaves in the fall, and grass doesn't always grow greener in Summer." Naruto continued to speak, surprising Yang on how down to earth and deep he was.

"So," Yang says as she rubbed her arm. "What you're saying is that the past doesn't matter?"

"It does, but instead of letting it be an excuse, let it be something that changes you for the better. You see, when I was the prep academy for Atlas, I met a girl there…her name was Ilia." Naruto smiles, "and she was my best friend."

"I was always lost in my own sadness, chasing a dream I felt like I was never going to reach, and Atlas had a habit of bullying Faunus newcomers. I…was, well…I almost did something stupid. Ilia stopped me, talked to me, she was a Faunus like me." Naruto continues and looked at the falling snow.

"My greatest friend and I trained together, ate together, fought together. We were inseparable, like the sister and brother we always wanted. However, things weren't always so good. She had a disaster befall her, her entire family was wiped in that mining accident a year back…and she ran off to the White Fang." Naruto stopped talking and turned away from Yang.

He didn't want her to see him cry over it, "for three years I always had a holiday to look forward to…and then it all just went away. I felt so alone, and in a way, I do feel alone."

"Well, don't be alone, you're a friend to me and my sis!" Yang cheerfully spoke as she walked behind him, "besides aren't foxes supposed to be sociable creatures?"

"Actually," Naruto dried his face with the arm, faking snivels. "Foxes are mostly solitary…"

Yang draped her arm around Naruto before punching his other arm, "well you'll be apart of my social circle then!"

Naruto looked at Yang, smiling, "thanks…"

"Don't mention, besides there's also Velvet and Team C.V.F.Y, Coco isn't a bad friend to have. Besides, screw the haters' man, they ain't got nothing better to do than sink others down to their level." Yang continues as she looked up at the broken moon, which was always visible in the winter times.

"Yeah, you're right…thanks, Yang." Naruto chuckled as he looked at her, "you know your aura is very warm."

"Aww shucks, you could say I'm a _burning beauty_." She puns, making him chuckle.

Naruto hummed a little, feeling the darkness recede in himself…he had no power today. Not today of all days, today was a day for friends and happiness, there was not going to be an episode of darkness in him. At least for this week, he was going to fight against it.

The blonde Fox Faunus just blushes, "well, I'm not going to state otherwise…your temper and all?"

Yang growls a little bit, shoving him off her until he hit the ground, "last one back to the house is a rotten egg!"

"Oi!" Naruto yells as he got up, "cheater!"

* * *

Taiyang gives hearty laugh as he sat out the various dishes for the people gathered in his home. Mac, pot roast, mashed potatoes, various sides including sweet potato casserole, and baked BBQ beans. There was even a small honey glazed ham in the middle of the table.

Qrow was drinking water to get over his hangover, he had a bandage over his nose where a bruise had formed from the clothespin. Blake was sitting by Yang, chuckling at one of her puns as Naruto was seated by Qrow and Ruby.

"Well gang," Taiyang flopped down at the head chair. "Happy holidays."

"Happy holidays dad," Ruby smiled as she looked at her father. "I'm thankful to just be here in this moment."

Yang nodded, "me too, thanks for the dinner dad."

Ruby lightly kicked Yang's shin under the table, making her give a light yelp, but then she smiled. "I love you pops."

"I love you too, my little angels, and of course I love you. You old drunk," Taiyang says as he looked at Qrow. "I'm thankful for all the help you've given raising these two."

Qrow smiled, "and I'm just thankful to be in your lives."

"Aww," Ruby coos and lovingly snuggled against her uncle. "Love you too, Uncle Qrow."

Blake smiled, "I'm just thankful for the food and good friends to share it with."

Everyone laughed as they turned toward Naruto, with Taiyang smiling, "so what are you thankful, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled, closing his eyes, "I'm just thankful…for knowing I have friends like you all."

Qrow reached over, gripping Naruto's shoulder and shakes him a little with a proud smile on his face. The group then said a quick prayer, chowing down on the delicious food. With Naruto grabbing the end piece of the ham and filling his plate up.

Everyone rushing to grab a piece of the feast, with Taiyang watching as the children at the table began to talk amongst each other. Staring at the chair at the end of the table, where a lone, empty plate laid. He closed his eyes, smiling.

* * *

 _A woman with an awfully similar appearance to Ruby sat in opposite front of the table. She looked at the high chair where a babbling baby with short, but similar colored hair to her own and silver eyes played with toys. Meanwhile, a girl was playing with her sister while trying to sit normally in her seat._

 _"_ _Dinner's almost ready Summer, children acting good?" Taiyang questioned while he smiled at her._

 _"_ _Bout as good as ever, Yang stop taking Ruby's toy!" Summer chastised the girl, giving the girl back to her youngest daughter._

 _"_ _Sorry mama," Yang rubbed the back of her head, "rove you."_

 _"_ _La, Yang, La. Love you too sweetie," Summer laughed as she rubbed the girl's hair._

 _Taiyang took to placing the small dinner around the table, smiling at her and giving Summer a kiss on her head as he placed her plate in front of her. He took his seat, looking at her, and the decorated tree behind her. There were small presents in the back of the tree, while larger ones, mostly dolls laid at the front._

 _"_ _So, Summer, what are you thankful for this year?" Taiyang slyly questions as he looked at her._

 _Summer smiled, "I'm just thankful to have a loving husband and two little girls."_

 _Tai chuckled, "and I'm just thankful to share this life with you."_

 _"_ _Where's Qrow, wasn't he supposed to be coming over?" Summer inquires, looking at the empty._

 _"_ _Oh," Taiyang looked at the empty plate. "He's busy, won't be in until tomorrow."_

 _Summer rolled her eyes, "let me guess, gave you the Q-Daddy excuse."_

 _"_ _Q-daddy gotta do what Q-daddy do." Taiyang rolled his eyes while repeating the very same words Qrow told him._

 _"_ _And, then there was the sound of punching and kicking and broken glass?" Summer furthered, asking if she had heard the same thing._

 _"_ _It's like when he goes to a bar that thing turns into a war zone, for no reason, I think he does it on purpose to avoid the scroll." Tai answers and smiles, "but he'll have some leftovers waiting for him."_

 _"_ _Ah, that's good…well let's eat. I don't want the food getting cold after you put so much effort into it, dear." Summer says while getting a spoonful of sweet potatoes._

* * *

Taiyang looked at the chair smiling, looking at their daughters, _'I know you're here with us Summer. I love you, and Happy Holidays my rose."_

* * *

"Sick!" Ruby shouts as she opened her gift, "Yang I got that new fighting game!"

"Aww yeah, time to kick your butt and uncle Qrow's!" Yang cheered while opening her gift.

It was some hair products, not cheap stuff either, a whole six months supply for Beacon. She looked at her dad, smiling and looked at her gift some more. Taiyang knew that Yang loved her hair, she cared for her beauty, and knew that his daughter would "die" if she couldn't take care of it properly.

So, he went out of his way to save some money up for the good stuff, and his reward was seeing his daughter smile and walk over toward him. She wraps her arms around him, giving a bone-crushing hug that made him wince a little.

Qrow was handed a round object by Taiyang, tied in a bow, "got you some good stuff."

"Ah, thanks, Tai, Dragon's Breath? Hello, Q-daddy the revenge…" Taiyang glares at him, "after the holidays."

Naruto watches them open their gifts from each other as he walks over to his sack, "I almost forgot about this, but I did some shopping of my own before coming here."

"Hmm," everyone but Blake turned toward him.

Naruto walked over with the sack in his hands, taking a moment to set it down carefully. He flopped down, getting them out randomly. First off, he managed to grab Ruby's gift.

"I know it ain't much Ruby, but I think it's fitting for you," Naruto tells the young girl as she opens the gift.

It was a…a gift card, a gift card to a bakery in Patch Town?!

"Oh yes, I love this, thank you!" Ruby cheers, "though I don't think it isn't little, it is actually nice."

"Hey," Yang looked at the Namikaze, "you aren't trying to make moves on my sister?"

"And start a harem?" Naruto handed Yang's gift to her, "not a chance."

Taiyang bursts out laughing, Yang's attitude got thrown back at her harder than she could ever punch, which made her flush with color in her face. Blake was struggling, while Qrow clocked out at the very end of it, clutching his sides.

She pouted as she tore open her present, pulling out a hoodie, she smiled a little bit. It was a size too big, sure, but it was fine. The color matched her emblem and she looked at Naruto with a huff before smiling.

"Well consider me game," she commented as she winked at him, immediately turning it back around Naruto who blushes.

The blonde Fox Faunus grumbled as he got out Taiyang's and Qrow's gifts, "sorry guys, but I didn't know what to give you all."

Both of them tore open the gifts, revealing matching flasks. Taiyang chuckled slightly, it was big enough to hold a full can of soup if he needed it too. While Qrow found his bingo ticket to sneaking some grade A alcohol into "dry areas" in Vale.

"Thanks, Naruto," Taiyang placing the flask on a nightstand, while Qrow did the same with his.

Naruto reached back into his sack, grabbing Blake's, "and here's the last gift!"

Blake got it, she sighed, "I kind of…took a peak."

"Hmm, oh, you looked inside of the bag? Meh, I'm not too concerned with it, open it!" Naruto cheerfully rushes Blake into opening it.

Blake opened the gift revealing a tea set, it was a cheap grade, but nonetheless, the gift was thoughtful. She then took notice of the wrapping paper, noting that it was each of their favorite colors related to their emblems.

"So," Blake smiles as she speaks. "You do pay attention to all things around you."

"Well if it wasn't for you Blake I'd died in at the bridge. So," Naruto shrugs as he looked at her, "I owed you one."

"You owed me nothing, what are friends for, right?" Blake held out her fist, to which Naruto bumped.

Taiyang laughs, looking at Qrow, "look at that sleepy beauty made some friends."

"Oh, shit, that reminds me…" before Qrow could say anything Ruby held a jar up to him.

"That reminds me of the no swear rule, Lien, jar now please," Ruby ordered Qrow with a playful smirk.

The man grumbles, placing a few liens in the jar, making sure to cover for "future" expenses. The girl jangled the jar around, smiling as she placed it back on the nearby nightstand at the opposite end of the couch.

"Anyway, crap, that reminds me. Yang, very back of the tree!" Qrow points at a present wrapped in red, "it has Naruto's name on it, there's two of them."

"Two?" Naruto questioned, looking at both Qrow and Taiyang.

They both smiled, "well, we knew you'd be the type to buy us gifts, so we went out and got something for you."

Naruto was handed the gifts, he looked at them, both embellished with chibi foxes.

"That's my B," Ruby points out as she rubbed the back of her head. "Yang chose the color, and I chose the design."

"I'm not mad," Naruto whimpered a little bit as he started to open the gifts.

The first one had a hoodie in it, an orange hoodie with his emblem on the back of it. The second gift had fingerless heavy duty combat gloves, not cheap mind you, and perfect for Naruto's hands. Everyone watches as Naruto suddenly started to sob, clutching the gifts close to him.

"Did we do something…wrong?" Ruby inquires to her father.

The man got down on the floor, with Qrow, placing a hand on Naruto's back, "hey kiddo…you alright?"

Naruto nodded, "yeah…I'm just…I'm just…"

"So happy…" He finishes and looked at them with a smile, "best holiday ever…"

Everyone scooted over to him, giving him a hug, and for the first time in a very long time…Naruto felt like he belonged.

* * *

Outside of the house, two women stood, one with black hair that slowly changed toward red as it got closer to the tips. A woman with long red hair looked at the house as well, they both turned toward each other, acknowledging each other with a nod before a gust of wind kicked up a bunch of snow flurries around them.

And they faded with that very wind.


	22. Update news

So, if anyone is wondering there isn't a chapter here…let me explain. This part of the story will be deleted as soon as I am able to complete the mammoth task before me.

That mammoth task.

I am going to go back and update **_ALL_** chapters before the holiday chapters (maybe them as well.), and here is the checklist for said updates.

1\. _Correct some Grammar and spelling mistakes (I do not have the time, nor the god given patience with myself to correct_ _ **ALL**_ _of them.)_

2\. _Additional scenes depicting Naruto's daily life, along with other characters (I felt the early chapters were Naruto centric, and though it was needed to establish the character, I kind of wanted to look more into people as well…like Paloma.)_

3\. **_OCs_** _(before you throw a flame up, no I'm not making Overpowered OCs, I'm making OCs more defined like Yang's friends from Signal that she runs off with. I feel like I need to flesh them out more in order to flesh out Yang herself better and just Beacon as a whole.)_

4\. _Semi Follow The Lore and RWBY Plotline (If you haven't noticed I've tweaked the timeline a little to conform to this story. In a way, it kind of makes sense, since a semester is a quarter in the year. Meaning Ruby and the girls spent nearly a year in Beacon and she was more than likely sixteen right before or just right after The Fall of Beacon.)_

5\. _Try to make everyone livelier, and less controlled and robotic. (This means no janky dialogue, and more of the explosive dynamic of Ruby's bubbly personality and Yang's flirty and open personality. Kind of like in the Holidays.)_

6\. _Address Goth Culture in some of the chapters where Naruto dyes his hair before going to a concert (I got so much flak for that, and people didn't bother to read that it was temporary hair color spray, and in this story, Naruto loves heavy metal and death metal, along with classic rock and other kinds of music.)_

7\. _Eliminate detailing scenes that aren't required…until they are…(like in chapter one where Naruto describes his fighting style instead of showing it.)_

8\. _Adding Easter Eggs (that's right, you read that right, Easter Eggs. If you're long time reader my Easter Eggs either do one of three things. They either hint at future events, give a hint toward the inspiration of a character, or be used as comic relief moment.)_

9\. _Explore locales more. (Patch Town, Signal Academy, Beacon, Vale, the train stations, Emerald and Forever Fall Forest.)_

10\. _More team dynamic (instead of brief snippets and such, I plan to add more team dynamic in the story. From the newly formed C.R.D.N to R.W.B.Y. Why? Because I can fall or fly as high as the ground or sky.)_

11\. _Work on polishing scenes (Clean up scenes to make them more dynamic and even add new descriptions to liven the area up more)_

12\. _Last, but not least, expand the fights (I know this story has very few fights, actual fights, and those that are already there I aim to expand a lot more. Save for The Holiday Fight, I don't think I could write that better than Port suplexing a villain…Suplex City $#% $ &!)_

So, there's my list, I'm checking twice, going to find out which one will make me rage quit tonight.

Please stay tuned, because this is essentially a rewrite in a sense that I'm changing chapters more dynamically.

They'll also be released all at once…so, until I'm done you won't get any updates. The only good thing is that they should come out faster since I already have ideas to work off, and not writing from scratch. Though, don't expect anything new for at least two weeks maximum.

Sorry, but I do this because I love my audience and just want to be the best that I can be.

-Much Love.

Blazeraptor54/Chris.

P.S. As the 13th little add in, I am also going in and eliminating song lyrics, unless you want them as trivia.


	23. Updates

Chapters 1-15 have been updated.

Please re-read and have fun. New chapters should start after Christmas. Though the holiday chapters may get updated between now and then.

Take care!


	24. Season Two Episode One: Fight Night

_(welcome to season two!)_

* * *

Naruto was wearing the orange jacket he had gotten for the holidays. The blonde Fox Faunus was walking through the streets of Vale while carrying boxes. Dove was next to him, along with his mother. They trudged through the mounds of snow, making it to Naruto's old apartment building.

"Can't believe it was still open," Carlita commented. "It's certainly a tall building, most buildings in Mistral City stayed relative to the ground."

"Well Downtown Vale isn't exactly a great place, but it's not the worst," Naruto admits as they walk into the building.

"Ah," she sighed. "Are the other tenants nice people?"

"If you're not a Faunus you're golden, I'm not saying anyone is racist…but…" Naruto laments a little, 'I've had problems."

"Oh dear, Dove, could you grab this box for me while I get my keys?" She asks her son.

Dove nodded, taking the box and holding it. Watching his mother go to the front desk, Dove looked at Naruto with a smile and nodded. They watch as Carlita Bronzewing got her keys and walked back over toward them. She grabs the box off the stack Dove had been carrying and began to make her way toward the elevator.

They went up the elevator, Naruto smiles as they exit the elevator and came to the old door. Carlita opens the door after unlocking it and walks inside. The first thing that stood out was that the floors were clean and there weren't any stains on the carpet.

"Wow," Naruto gushed a little bit. "They really did a number on the cleanup."

Carlita looks at him, "did you leave this place a mess?"

"Not really," Naruto answered as he placed her bags on the kitchen counter. "I use washable paint, which really hurts the value of my paintings in the long run…"

"Does your art dealer know that?" Dove inquires.

"Of course, and I switched over when I started going to Beacon, figuring they'd be able to remove a stain regardless." Naruto reasons as he walks toward his old bedroom.

He looked at it, taking a deep breath as he walks around it to get a better feel, "they kept the dressers in here and the bathroom's water runs hot all the time."

"Hear that ma, hot showers all the time, unlike Mistral," Dove comments as he looked at his mother.

She smiles, "yes, I heard him."

The blonde Fox Faunus walks out of his room and then toward mother and son, "well I guess this is where we part ways for a few Ms. Bronzewing."

"Oh please," she waived off the formality. "You can just call me Carlita sweetie."

"Alright, um, Carlita. Anyway, Dove, are you going with me or staying here to catch up with your mother some more?" Naruto asks as he stretched.

"I'm gonna hang back here for a moment," Dove replied before smiling. "You know man, you look much bubblier than you ever have since I first met ya."

Naruto rubs the back of his head, "I had a very good holiday."

* * *

Naruto had spent a couple more nights at Taiyang's place, they didn't question him when he left and came back with some clothes. It was good, and for that time there he had never felt closer to anyone. Ilia was his sister in heart, but Naruto felt like he belonged here.

He was making his way back toward Beacon in a Bullhead, his scroll dinged with a text.

 _"_ _Hey whiskers had fun with you at my family's place, remember, you've got us ya know."_ Naruto opened the message's attachment.

It was a picture of Yang, Ruby, and Taiyang posing in front of a camera, while Qrow looked like he had been dragged into the frame by Ruby. The family all had a small smile on their face, with Qrow hiding his from the rest of the family.

The blonde smiled and quickly replied, _"thanks guys, sorry for crying though during the gifts."_

A sudden ding indicated she was waiting on a reply, and she replied, _"don't worry about it!"_

He chuckles as he pockets his scroll, snow fell around the aircraft as Beacon became visible. Slowly, but surely the aircraft landed in a landing space on Beacon's grounds. Naruto departed the aircraft, grabbing his own bag of clothes he had gotten from the hotel's lobby after helping Carlita.

Naruto walks toward the school, only to stop when he sees Kakashi standing there. The man had a smile on his face as he had his mask pulled down, drinking hot cocoa from the cup he had been given by the blonde. Suddenly he raises it up and Naruto sees Team C.V.F.Y come out from behind the statue.

They had a gift in their hands, "yo blondie!"

Yats walks over toward him and extends his fist out, "thanks for the gift bro."

"Yeah," Velvet said with a smile as she bounced her rabbit ears up and down. "I always hated winter because of my ears getting cold…never really thought about ear mufflers."

"Yeah, and these gloves are kick ass," Coco states.

Fox looked at Naruto, smiling as he held up the book, "not even going into detail…but this is a very good book."

The blonde was tackled by them, falling to the ground as he felt them hug him. The blonde looked toward Kakashi as the man smiled, chuckling as he finished his cup of cocoa and walks over toward him. He bent down and held his hand out as everyone clamored off him.

Naruto took it and stood straight up, "Naruto Namikaze happy holiday."

The blonde smiles as he was handed the gift and opened to reveal an orange jacket in the same make and type as the jacket he got at The Xiao-Long house. Naruto beams with pride as he looks at it, noting that it had a custom symbol on the back of it.

His symbol.

"It may look like your jacket," Coco pointed out. "But its actually made for Huntsman and not civilian use."

Naruto looked at it, it was a Huntsman uniform? He felt of the inner pockets for dust and then gladly slipped off the coat he got from Taiyang and his family before placing this one on his shoulders. Slowly he channels his aura through it and felt it warm up.

Kakashi smirks as he pats Naruto's shoulder, "it's a perfect fit, just like you are here."

He felt like crying but dried his tears up and merely locked hands with Kakashi who hugged him. The snow began to stop falling, and the group looked at one another. Yats and Velvet smiled at him, while Coco and Fox both stared at each other before turning back to Naruto.

The blonde rubs the back of his head before declaring, "let's go and have some fun!"

* * *

Qrow was drinking his umpteenth beer, "so, how is Zwei doing?"

"He's fine," Ruby replied as she rubs the dog's stomach. "Just full of leftovers."

"I swear that dog eats better than most people I know," Qrow commented as he slammed the beer back and finished it. "So, short-stack good holiday?"

"Good holiday, dad's sick though," Ruby sighs as she looked at the stairs.

"Tai always works himself too hard," Qrow said while walking toward the fridge. "Out of beer…"

He sighs, "well looks like I'm going to try some of the good stuff he got me."

"Well maybe you should sober up a little," Ruby said with some concern. "Wouldn't want you to pass out."

Qrow nods as he walks over toward the kitchen table, "hey short-stack where is Yang?"

"Oh, Yang, she's upstairs brushing her hair. You know how she likes taking care of it, honestly, I don't know why she doesn't get a pixie cut like I have!" Ruby states as she took a seat at the table.

"Hmm," Qrow hummed as he looked at the stairs. "You know she was flirting with Naruto when he was here."

"What, no, c'mon really?" Ruby questioned disbelievingly.

The man laughs at Ruby's naivety, and then looked at the stairs as he heard footsteps coming down. It was Yang, she was wearing a white tank top and yellow sweatpants. She looked at them, and then sat down next to her sister, stretching as she did.

She looks at Zwei who was happily mewling at Ruby's belly rubbing, and then to her uncle, "so what did I miss?"

"Uncle Qrow thinks you were flirting with Naruto," Ruby then looked toward the couch where Blake was still passed out. "And Blake is still passed out."

"Oh, uncle Qrow said I was flirting with Naruto?" Yang playfully questioned as she put a finger to her lip.

"Yeah," Ruby stated again. "He said that you were flirting with him while he was here, but I don't know…he didn't flirt back…I guess."

"Ruby, uncle Qrow is right, and the reason why he didn't flirt back is that I don't think he knows how." Yang then giggles a little bit, " it is rather endearing."

The Huntsman just looked at her, "so, that was the noise upstairs…"

Ruby nearly had her eyes widen, only for Yang and him to laugh at her. "Relax short-stack we're only joking."

Yang rubs her hair as she looks at them, "but all in all he is a nice guy."

"The good nice guy, or the bad nice guy?" Ruby inquired, "because I remember you told that back in Signal there were nice guys that only wanted you for the cookies…"

"Yeah," Yang remembered. "I did, but I think he's the good kind."

Qrow laughs as he leans back and looks at her, "so when are you going to ask him on a date then Goldilocks?"

"Pfft, not anytime soon, too focused on school." Yang replies with a smirk, "but a little bit of harmless flirting doesn't hurt anyone."

She gets up and yawns, "I'm going for a run, Ruby?"

"Sure," Ruby got up, "let me just get Zwei's leash."

* * *

Three weeks after the holidays, Naruto and Kakashi had been meeting in secret inside of the training room. Always so late at night, no one could interrupt them, and Naruto enjoyed every moment of it. He finally had someone with the same type of combat style looking into his own abilities and improving them greatly.

It didn't take long for it to show.

Naruto was already back in the training room after finishing a painting. Kakashi and he clashed their forearms together. Both hit each other, but neither got a clean blow as they traded. The teenager jumps up and tries to kick Kakashi in the face while turning his body to deliver a second kick. Both were blocked by Kakashi's forearms, but to his surprise, Naruto lands on his hands and throws two more quick kicks at him.

 _'_ _It's Toad Kata alright,'_ Kakashi blocks the kicks but was forced to move back when Naruto springs from the ground and tries to use the momentum to break Kakashi's guard.

Naruto cartwheels in the air and tried to bring down his left leg in a massive kick, only for Kakashi to barely block it. He had to hand it to Naruto, he improves quickly, and this what is exactly what he wanted. Kakashi watches as Naruto flips backward, landing on the other side of the room.

The head of security for Beacon looked at the blonde, "not bad Naruto."

"I'll get a clean hit on you, Dattebayo!" Naruto screams as he charges.

Kakashi blocks the flurry of kicks and punches the blonde Fox Faunus seemingly dances with the moves. Each kick was followed by a punch, each punch follows with a kick. It was testing Kakashi's guard, and he couldn't lie if it was anyone else Naruto may have already landed a hit.

Kakashi's eyes widened when Naruto dropped to the floor and tried to sweep kick him. The more experienced man rolled backward as he went down and gripped Naruto with his legs before slinging him across the room. Getting up Kakashi's eyes widened as Naruto was already on the offensive once more.

His eyes were glowing red as the blonde's movements seem to hasten, slowly but surely Kakashi could feel the heat starting to pour off Naruto. Kakashi's eyes widened when Naruto's pupils became oval-like, foxlike, and the blonde's punches became more powerful.

 _'_ _there!'_ Naruto dodges a counter punch by Kakashi's whose eyes widened.

Naruto cocks his fist back and delivers a powerful haymaker, it had Kakashi, only for the man to his semblance. He saw the man slip under him, bending to his shadow, appearing behind him. But it was too late to stop the punch, and Naruto punched paned glass window, shattering it from the blow.

Cuts appear on Naruto's hand as glass fell around it, only for them to steam and heal. He turns on his heel, blocking a kick with his foreleg while leaning back to avoid the punches. Kakashi looks at Naruto with his mind's eye, seeing energy flow throughout the boy.

It wasn't aura, it was something else.

"How can you improve so fast?" Kakashi questioned, legitimately impressed as he Naruto blocks and counters with his own punches.

Naruto smirks as he leaned back and deflected a blow, "I'm a kinesthetic learner."

The duo trade hands as both spun on their heel and slapped the back of their hands together. Naruto steps forward and rapidly punches against Kakashi's forearms as they blocked his blows before jumping up. Kakashi leaned back as Naruto launched two front kicks, stunning him when he contorted his body and moved his legs out of the way of being grabbed as he spun on his side.

Landing on the ground with his hands Naruto rolled backwards to avoid a stump by Kakashi. Getting to his feet Naruto assumed a stance, bringing his fists up. Smirking under his mask Kakashi charged forward, stepping to the side to deliver a powerful kick. Naruto blocks it, surprising Kakashi when he spun on his heel to get closer and slammed his palm forward.

Kakashi managed to deflect, both of their fists clash against each other as he and Naruto battled toe to toe. Hand to hand they were about even, which was incredible, given that Naruto was just a first year. However, it wasn't unheard of for a student to specialize and be better at something than a teacher sometimes.

"So," Kakashi spoke up while catching Naruto's fists. "Why do your eyes turn red when you're fighting."

Naruto took a moment, breaking the grip and stepping back, "I don't know!"

"Is it because you're angry?" Kakashi questions as he blocked a kick from Naruto.

Leaning back to avoid the punch that followed afterward, "semblance?"

Naruto grits his teeth as he blocks Kakashi's blows, using his forelegs and forearms to take the brunt of the strikes. Leaning to the side Naruto throws a palm strike, intent to strike Kakashi in the arm. However, the man chuckles and throws a finger jab his way.

Recognizing the attack Naruto stepped back, avoiding it, and then watches as Kakashi switched styles. Naruto knew that blocking would be pointless now and took a deep breath as his master circled him. Slowly, but surely moving closer and closer.

"Tell me Naruto," Kakashi charged as spoke. "Do you think you can learn everything from me?"

Naruto dodges the finger jabs, only for his back to slam against a wall. His eyes widened as Kakashi stepped forward and aimed a finger jab right at his chest. The blonde Fox Faunus, however, did something Kakashi didn't expect.

"Damn it!" Naruto shouts as he threw a punch.

Kakashi's eyes widened as he avoided the punch, only for it suddenly send him back across the room!

Kakashi rubbed his cheek as he got up, Naruto looked at his fist, he knew he missed! Yet, across the room, one of greatest friends and his teacher removed his mask to show a bloody lip. However, he wasn't angry, he was happy.

"Now that," he stated with pride. "Is Toad Kata, the projection of natural aura almost mindlessly."

The white-haired man walks toward Naruto, the blonde didn't drop his stance. The man laughed at his student, ruffling his hair. The man looked at Naruto's surprised look and then smirked as he pulled down his mask.

"Naruto," Kakashi praises as he looked into the boy's eyes, "you're an awesome kinesthetic learner."

The blonde chuckles, he couldn't help it, "thanks."

Kakashi then looked at the window, "but your first time throwing that kind of punch shattered the window earlier."

"Yeah, it felt like a rush of energy leaving me." Naruto admits as he rubs the back of his head, "I got a little carried away."

"Not too much, well, maybe a little." Kakashi sheepishly says while returning the chuckle.

The blonde looked at Kakashi, "do you think you I can use the same concept for my weapon?"

"Of course," Kakashi replied with a smile. "You're only limited to what your imagination allows."

"That is awesome, Dattebayo, well I need some sleep…" Naruto yawned as he walks toward the door. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah, damn robot crashed through the window again," Kakashi said in farewell, giving them a cover story.

* * *

In the forest a Grimm stalked toward a little girl, she whimpers as she backed away. Slowly, the Grimm came closer and closer. It was a King Taijitu, a giant two-headed snake Grimm. Slowly it raised its heads up, intending to eat the girl.

She cries out, "please don't!"

The snake doesn't listen to her, but suddenly the forest came alive with the sound of birds chirping. Suddenly trails of lightning danced around the girl and impacted the giant Grimm. Making it roar as it slithered backward, the girl looked up to see someone standing in front of her.

"Are you alright?" the person asked while holding a chokuto to his side.

The girl nods, "thank you…are you one of the mercenaries?"

"I am," the person in front of her states. "Go on, get out of here."

"Y-yes," the girl replied before getting up and running toward a village.

The person's onyx colored eyes slowly turned red, having three tomoe swirl around the pupil in a straight line. Slowly, but surely, he started to step forward. His cloak dances in the wind while his jet-black hair swayed with it. The Grimm roars out at the teen, who mere scoffs at it and charges at it with lightning dancing around his body.

Suddenly to the snake's side several trees crash revealing another giant King Taijitu. The young man just stood there, tapping the hilt of his blade as he waited for them to move. Another set of trees fell to the creatures far left, revealing another.

"Hn…" the teen looked at them.

"Normally I would give my opponents a chance to give up," the teen said as he slid the sword back into his scabbard. "But since you're Grimm…The Elders won't be too caring either way."

The snakes roar out at the human, his cloak flapped in the wind of their roar. The teen raises his left hand, it crackled with electricity before the sound of a thousand birds filled the area. The middle of the trio of giant King Taijitu charges.

"Chidori Senbon!" The teen roared out as he swipes his hand across his field of vision.

Hundreds of needles made of energy and crackling with lightning impacted the fused snake. It roars out in pain before the human unsheathed his sword from the scabbard and slammed it into the ground. His free hand was contorted into a symbol of some sort.

"Chidori Nagashi…" he breathes out as lightning rushes down from the blade and surges into the ground.

The giant snake shakes as the lightning strikes it, frying it from the inside out. It fell over in heap, not moving, the teen watches as the two others started to move toward him. The first one, the one he had struck to move away from the little girl, charges at him.

Pulling his sword from the ground the teen channels energy into it. Suddenly the blade glows and beam of lightning extends off it. The snake lunges at him only for his sword to slice both of its necks off in quick succession.

Both fell around him, creating a small dust cloud. He felt the tomoe in his eyes spin, warning him. He jumps back, easily avoiding the last Grimm snake's attempt to gobble him up in the dust. Slowly he sheathed his sword back into the scabbard and watches as the snake emerged out of the dust cloud.

The teen formed symbols with his hands, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

Suddenly, a very large stream of fire in the shape of ball shot forth from his mouth, the Grimm didn't have time to react as it was swallowed up by the flames. It was quickly vaporized by the intense heat, it howled its pain, wrinkling in the flames.

The teen turned around and saw a very familiar face standing there. The face had white hair, tan skin, and wore navy blue mask and clothing under his flak jacket. The teen looks at the man, they both locked eyes.

"Kakashi," the teen acknowledged. "Creating clones is very risky if someone sees you out of a transformation."

"Well," Kakashi shrugs, "you may want to relay this to The Elders…Sasuke."

"Kakashi, you don't usually report something unless it has something to do with people using Chakra when they shouldn't…" Sasuke looks at the letter, "did someone use chakra?"

"Yes and no, unknowingly, but that is for you to found whom at The Elder's discretion," Kakashi states as he walked around the tree.

The teen, Sasuke, was handed a piece of paper. He looked at Kakashi. The only time the man ever reported anything of his activities in Vale was when something interesting came about. Like someone using chakra instead of aura, or someone catching his eye as a potential recruit in their shadow war.

"You've been hiding something from me," Sasuke stated as he pockets the letter. "Does it have something to do with the mark on my hand?"

"I believe so," Kakashi replied as he looked at the teen, "but for right now your operation in Vale may be expanded."

"The dust robberies, we don't mettle in civilian things. Vale's king back then had a chance to use our organization but threatened The Elders if we ever set foot in his kingdom."

"The Elders back then were brasher," Kakashi pointed out. "Our current Elders know that working within shadows keeps our people alive."

"For how long Kakashi?" Sasuke inquires as he sits on the ground. "We fight from the shadows, we lie and lie to ourselves."

"When I was first brought in after you found me, I was excited to be a part of something. You taught me, then I unlocked this symbol on my hand, and The Elders took over." Sasuke took a deep breath as he looked at Kakashi, "what is the end goal?"

"The end goal for us is finding a way to rid the world of this scourge called Grimm," Kakashi told Sasuke as he leaned on a tree. "And rid the world of its leader and her followers."

"Hn…" Sasuke huffed as he got up and adjusted his cloak.

He went to walk away before stopping, "Kakashi…I must ask does the letter have anything to do with me?"

"It may," Kakashi replied with ambiguity to the subject, "and it may not."

"Of course," Sasuke drawled as he looked at the scarlet colored letter. "But I think you and The Elders forget something. In this world, people would view us as outsiders because we are, and our Elders as magical instead of natural."

"If it came down to it," Sasuke took a deep breath, "would you choose them or the people?"

"Doing as we're told serves the people as well, Ozpin may have good intentions, but he had a checkered history. One day, hopefully soon, we can walk in the sunlight without having to hide our face within a mask." Kakashi said before pulling his mask up, "both physical and metaphorical masks."

He disappears in a swarm of leaves, leaving Sasuke standing in the forest clearing. The teen sighed as he looked up at the setting sun. Vale's snow laid around him, he took a deep breath before looking at the letter.

 _"_ _Beacon Academy Report._

 _To: Gamaki"_

Sasuke looked around the area, he could easily reseal the letter. After all it was sealed with a Fūinjutsu sigil rather than actual spit. Focusing his energy Sasuke easily broke the seal, perhaps a little too easily. The raven-haired youth pulled a letter out.

 _"_ _I knew you would try to look at this letter, so I hid a fake confetti bomb in it, the real one was already sent. Have fun Sasuke and keep training your chakra levels as we practiced!"_ There was a smiley face drawn on the letter, and it the seal appeared right over it.

Suddenly a loud bang sounds throughout the clearing as confetti exploded over Sasuke who burned the letter in his hand. Kakashi was always playful, but sometimes it pissed him off to no end. The raven-haired youth growled as he starts to walk off.

A swirl necklace jingling on his neck.


	25. Season Two Episode Two: Friendly Outing

Naruto was sitting in class. He was taking a test with the rest of his team; Professor Port's tests weren't so bad if you listened. As much as it irritated him, despite their progress as a team, Cardin and Russel still showed lackluster results in tests. Dove improved, but that was because Dove wanted too, and there was some resentment in the team still for Naruto taking over.

It was subtle, but it wasn't unnoticeable. The week was the final week of the winter curriculum. January had come and gone rather rapidly. Especially when he spent New Years at Taiyang's place, and then he fell into a schedule once more.

Get up.  
Eat.  
Classes.  
Friends.  
Kakashi.  
Painting.

The schedule was sound, and though he was getting results in training, there was sometimes his hands would hurt to the point he'd miss out on painting. However, in his mind, he was a Huntsmen in training first and painter second.

Finishing his test, the blonde just leaned back in his chair. It signaled that he was done, and the class attendant came and picked up the test. Today's lucky class attendant was Pyrrha, who was helping Port as he battled bravely…a case of the flu. She handed it to the mask-wearing man, who coughed up in his before placing it in a bin for it to be graded later.

Ruby was quickly finishing her test, Weiss had finished ahead of her, much to her delight. The girl stopped, raising her hand up and Pyrrha walks to collect her test. She smiles as she does. She then turns around and collects Blake's and Yang's, both had finished at about the same time.

This went on for the rest of the students, Jaune finishing last out of the group. As soon as the last test was handed to Port the class bell ring, signaling that it was time to head out for lunch. Naruto got up from his seat and walked out into the hallway.

He was wearing a bandage over his right fist, he busted in a spar with Kakashi. Yang looked at him as she came up from behind him, bumping him with her shoulder.

"Wassup whiskers!" She greets him.

"Hey Yang," Naruto replied as he rubbed his right hand.

She smirks, "been working out?"

"A little," Naruto sheepishly says as he continued to rub his palm, "so any plans for the weekend?"

"Nah," Yang said. "Probably going to the dance club with Ruby and Blake…maybe Weiss."

"Oh," Naruto smiled as he looked at her. "Been going to Paloma's?"

"A little," she hints with a song in her voice, "but what's with the game of twenty questions whiskers?"

The blue-eyed blonde slightly blushes, "I was just wondering if you wanted to grab a cup of coffee?"

"Oh?" She hums with a smile.

Naruto laughs nervously, "you know just as friends…um…"

"It's cool, I get it, but I think I kind of prefer tea though." Yang says while rubbing the back of her head, "you?"

"Either or," Naruto answered. "I'll pay the bill."

She jabs him in the chest with a finger while smiling, "You. Are. A gentleman."

"And you're awesome!" Naruto cheerfully states in return.

"You know it!" She exclaims with a smile on her face, walking away with a pep in her step.

Dove came up from behind Naruto, "got yourself a date man…ooh progress."

"Not a date," Naruto corrects his underling, "merely some tea with a friend."

"Pfft," Dove rolled his eyes as he snorted. "It's a date, and there's not a damn thing you can say to change my mind."

He smacked Naruto's shoulder, "but hell yeah, she's a bombshell!"

"If I was going on date with anyone Dove," Naruto removed the guy's hand off his shoulder, "it's not for their looks."

"So, you're too good for Yang then?" Dove inquires with a sly grin.

"What…the…no!" Naruto yells at his friend as he walks toward the main doors of Beacon Academy.

"Then you find something attractive," Dove pointed out an ever-increasing sly grin. "Maybe her eyes, her hair, maybe personality."

"Well, …she's kind…sweet." Naruto lists as he thought about it, "and I can say that her smile is something that is awesome."

"With words like that man you'd have no problem writing her a love poem," Dove teases Naruto as they walk out into the cold.

Naruto stretches, getting ready to run laps, "yeah…but…"

"So, you've thought about writing her a poem!" Dove accuses playfully.

The Fox Faunus rolls his eyes, "shut up and run!"

* * *

Dove and Naruto began to run their first lap around Beacon Academy. The cold air of the winter air was visible as they took deep breaths. The steam rolled off their mouth as they hopped over hedges in the back garden. A purposeful route that Naruto made to help improve Dove's agility, he was strong but nimble he was not.

Hopping over another hedge the blonde leaps at a tree before kicking off it. Dove follows him, barely managing the kick, but keeping up. It was better than when he first started out. The duo made their way around the starting point of at the doors of Beacon's main building before running it all once more.

Once more turned quickly thrice more, with Dove breathing hard while Naruto kept his composure. Years of running Atlas's brutal parkour course had helped him become somewhat immune to exhaustion while running. Did he get tired? Of course, everyone did, but he could press forward and ignore it better than most.

The cold snow layered the ground, but both knew when March rolled in more than likely it would be melting. Spring was coming fast, and it was coming soon. The springs in Vale were still cold, but instead of snow, it would rain a lot during March and taper off in April.

Naruto stops as he stretches, getting a small cramp in his left thigh. He hopped on one foot while extending out his leg and massaging his thigh. Dove looked like he was about to keel over, he was breathing very hard.

"Jeez…man…" Dove breathes out as he tried to catch his breath, "why…are…you…running…so fast…"

"Because," Naruto turned around while hopping on foot, "Dove be nimble, Dove be quick, Dove needs to learn how to run in a flick."

"Goddamn it," Dove cursed as he held his nose. "I have to admit though; your bubblier personality is kind of a nice change from the doom and gloom."

"It wasn't about the doom and gloom," Naruto told Dove as he got the cramp out. "I felt legitimately alone like no one wanted me around and everyone was just taking pity on me…"

Naruto then smiles as he rubbed the back of his head, "but then I met Velvet and her friends and that spiraled into Team J.N.P.R and R.W.B.Y."

"You could try being friends with them," the leader tells his underling, "they don't bite."

"Yeah, well, Cardin doesn't. He and Yang have bad blood since Signal, and Russel doesn't really like Ruby that much." Dove tells Naruto as he caught his breath.

He sighs, "Russel thinks Ruby is too young to actually be leading a team."

"They got that settled out," Naruto replied while looking at the clouds. "Ruby is their team leader like I am yours."

"And you're one hell of a team lead, pulling us out of hard tests and managing to keep us afloat. Cardin may still be an ass at times, but I think his parents were raised to look at Faunus as…" Dove took a deep breath before saying the word, "critters."

"Pfft," Naruto snorted while rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well in that case hatred might as well be genetic."

"I don't subscribe to the whole "this is the way it's been" bullshit. I'm not an SJW, or whatever, but everyone knows right from wrong. Not even ninety years ago my kind was locked in cages, and interracial marriage was certainly off the table. Racism has, and always will be, wrong. It doesn't matter if it is The Human First Movement or The White Fang. If your whole ideology doesn't believe that every person's lives matter, and just certain others, you're a racist." Naruto rants as he put both hands behind his head.

"Wow," Dove gasped a little bit. "So, you hate The White Fang?"

"I hate who they are now, justifying violence because someone gets denied a table or a shopkeep turns away my kind. I'm not saying its right, but if you use violence to solve problems you should expect the same result in kind. You can't just sit there and take it but dishing it out doesn't make you any better than the people who put you down in the first place." Naruto tells Dove as he leans against the door.

Dove nods, "sorry…if it was a touchy subject for you."

"It's cool," Naruto breathed. "I'm just so tired of the hatred, you hear almost every day on podcasts nowadays."

"Oh, speaking of podcasts, do you know Jauney tried making an ASMR video," Dove reveals with a sly grin.

Naruto was immediately curious, "bullshit."

"No BS," Dove pulled up the video as he spoke, "and Jauney boy is now an internet star…sort of."

"Wait," Naruto looks down at the subscriber counter, "ten thousand subs?!"

"Guy has a voice of honey," Dove admitted with a slight blush on his cheeks. "I'm not even gay and I can say that."

* * *

Naruto walked into the training room only to get slammed in the face with a water balloon. He glared at who threw it, it was Kakashi, who had an entire case of them. He was standing outside of the door, looking at Naruto with a grin under his mask.

"Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway, today's training before our Sunday mediation in a couple of days will be a little different." Kakashi tells Naruto as he walked into the room.

He noted that the training robot was packed into a corner, with Kakashi wearing his normal attire instead of his training gear. The man sat on the ground, pointing at a spot in front of him. Naruto took the hint and sat down across from him.

"So," Naruto spoke up, "what's with the balloons?"

"Oh, those, they're going to help master something I've noticed you had your eye on since day one." Kakashi tells Naruto before getting out a water balloon.

Naruto looked at Kakashi, the man chuckles as he makes the water in the balloon swirl before popping it.

"The first step to this technique is power," Kakashi stated as he looked at Naruto. "The Rasengan is not an easy thing to master."

"Wait?!" Naruto looked at Kakashi stunned, "you're going to teach me the Rasengan?!"

"Mmhmm," he hummed with a nod. "It took three months of intense training to learn it from my master."

"You never really named your master," Naruto pointed out as he sat cross-legged. "Who was he?"

"He was a good man," Kakashi lamented as he looked down. "He died in a battle."

"Ooh…" Naruto lowered his head down, "sorry…I didn't know."

"Its fine," Kakashi got another water balloon and tosses it over to Naruto.

The blonde caught it, he looked at it before holding it out with his right palm. It began to make his aura spin around in the balloon, watching as it wiggled but didn't pop. That's when Kakashi looks at him and pulled down his mask.

"Rotation is key," Kakashi pointed out. "But it's not needed at this point."

"Oh," Naruto lowered his head and focused. "Sorry…"

"Don't be," Kakashi watches as the ball of water wiggled more in Naruto's hands.

Suddenly it bursts open, making Kakashi's eyes widened a little bit. The blonde looked at it, and then he looked at Kakashi. The man laughed a little bit, it was a nervous laugh. He reaches back into the sack of water balloons and grabbed another.

"How did you do that?" Kakashi inquired.

"I just made my aura go in a bunch of different directions," Naruto answered.

"That's not the correct way," Kakashi lectured as he looked at Naruto. "If you made it go in a bunch of different directions how would rotation work?"

"That's true," Naruto agreed as he focused. "So, my power has to be in line with rotation…"

"Exactly," Kakashi agrees with Naruto as the blonde sat there, "but the goal is power."

Naruto took a deep breath before pouring more aura into the water balloon. Kakashi notice of the water spinning around rapidly in the balloon, all toward the right. The balloon's sides began to bubble and pull around from the main body.

Slowly, but surely, a small hole ripped into the balloon. Water poured out, Naruto looked at it with a frown. It was nothing like Kakashi had done, and he reached past the man to grab another water balloon. Kakashi got up, looking at Naruto.

"You continue to do this," Kakashi instructed him. "I'll go and make us some food."

"Ramen?" Naruto questioned.

"Yep," Kakashi pulled his mask back up, "just don't go overboard with it."

Naruto nods, watching as Kakashi left. He began to take a deep breath and began to go through water balloons. Most of them ripping a couple of holes, or one blowing in half. The minutes turned to hours, and Naruto didn't pay attention to anything other than the task at hand.

Finally, after reaching for one of the final water balloons Naruto had gotten an idea if the idea was power what if he just needed to concentrate it?

Placing the balloon in his hand, Naruto put another hand over it and began to take a deep breath. Slowly the water rotates before suddenly speeding up as he used one hand to rotate before adding power with the other.

Before long the balloon explodes!

Naruto looked on as the water droplets fell, hitting the floor, he got up and celebrated. It wasn't that he was happy that he made the balloon explode, but he was happy to see that he did something that would be able to move forward.

Naruto turned around, he saw Kakashi standing there with a smirk under his mask. He had two bowls of ramen in his hand, looking at the balloons on the ground. He figured the blonde would go through them quickly, and he walked over toward them.

"Pick up your trash," Kakashi plopped down in front of him. "Then you can eat."

The teen grabs the balloon remains off the floor, throwing them in a plastic bag that came with the pack of balloons. The teen watches as Kakashi slid the bowl of noodles over to him, chopsticks included. They both split the chopsticks before uncovering the lid.

They began to eat slowly, with Naruto looking at his right palm. It had a slight burn on it from where he condensed his aura. It was strange, funny even, how much concentration and power were needed to make a simple water balloon bust.

The Fox Faunus dug into his ramen, eating it quickly before drinking the broth. Kakashi did the same, both sitting their dishes into one another's. The grizzled security guard looked at Naruto, smiling he held his fist out.

Kakashi watches Naruto bump his fist, "you know I'm kind of proud…it took me a few weeks to get it.'

"I just used two hands," Naruto revealed as he grabbed another water balloon. "I think if I can get some more practice I could do it one-handed."

"Of course," Kakashi acknowledged the statement. "I think you could even get it down by the end of the month."

Naruto smiles as he looked at the man, "I bet I can get it in a week."

"Oh?" Kakashi hummed as he looked at Naruto, "what's the wager?"

"Um," Naruto rubs his chin and then smirked, "I don't really know…"

Kakashi laughs as he looked at Naruto, "that's an odd statement."

"Well, its true, I don't really know what I want. I," Naruto looked dejected as he looked at a map of Remnant on the wall. "Its…nothing, I don't want anything."

"Then why are you looking Menagerie?" Kakashi inquires as he sipped his water.

"I'm just wondering how my old family home looks," Naruto replied with a sigh. "I haven't been inside since I was a small child."

"Is it still in your family's name?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yeah," Naruto admitted as he looked at him. "It was nearly paid off and supposedly my mother had installment plans made in case she bit the dust."

Naruto frowned as he thought about his mother, "Kakashi…what's the biggest thing you regret?"

"I have many," Kakashi admitted as he looked at Naruto. "I guess it would be…not telling my wife Anko I loved her more and holding our daughter every time I came home."

Kakashi sighs as he looked at Remnant, "we had a home in Vacuo…near the greener part of it. Ooh, my wife was a firecracker."

"I don't think you ever get over it," the man finished his water. "I think you learn to live with it."

"The words, that time heal all wounds, and that it'll get better…it's bull…" Kakashi states as he looked at Naruto, "because at the end of the day your thoughts always travel back home."

The duo sat there in silence for a moment, but then Naruto spoke up, "well I'm glad you're here…"

"Heh," Kakashi chuckled. "Yeah, same to you."

* * *

Saturday evening, Naruto was getting ready in his team's dorm. He looked at his jacket, the very same he had gotten from Taiyang and them. He looks at himself in a mirror in the bathroom. He tried to comb his hair back, but instead, it just stayed spiky.

He also took notice of something interesting, the facial hair he shaved off was red. It wasn't from blood, it was legitimate red hair. Sighing, the blonde looks at his clean-shaven face, minus the whisker marks that he was born with.

His hair was brushed behind his ears if there was one thing that could be said it was that he looked great. He brushes his teeth, using minty mouthwash to make sure his breath didn't smell. He was going through a lot of effort, despite it not being a date.

Spitting into the sink watches the liquid drains down the pipes. He reaches over and grabs his pills, he looked at them before shaking his head. He placed them in the medicine cabinet, not bothering to take them. It wouldn't matter, he didn't need them, he was high on life right now!

Russel watches as Naruto walks out, "well damn man, you look fine!"

Naruto was wearing black cargo pants, with a nice pair of blue combat shoes and the undershirt he had on under the jacket was orange in color. The blonde's blue eyes shined past all the dark colors, his hair still a mess of spikes.

"I tried to use hair gel," Naruto laughed a little bit. "No dice."

"I can tell, jeez man," Dove raised up from his bed.

"Porcupine," Cardin jabbed at his team lead, "but hey…its not a date."

Rolling his eyes, the blonde walked out of the room, the teen closes the door behind him. Not noticing that the door to team R.W.B.Y's room was slightly creaked open. A little silver spied with a glint in her eye something blonde and well dressed.

Ruby looked over at the bathroom, Yang was still getting ready. The silver eyed girl was dressed up as well, since she did good the last time, she could go out with them again. Blake wanted to check out a new restaurant in Vale that was exclusively seafood. Weiss was going to take them to an upscale club, where they would probably meet up with Yang afterward. Blake had pointed out a nice teahouse in Vale, luckily, it also served some small foods.

Finger foods.

"So," Blake looked down at Ruby from her bunk. "One through ten."

"I'm not usually one to notice, but Hubba-Hubba!" Ruby proclaims as she looked at Blake.

Blake got curious and hopped down from her bed, looking through the creak. Her cheeks flustered a little bit, she had to admit if Naruto put more effort into his look's girls would swarm him. Heck, he kind of looked like one of the ninjas she read in her book, a book she frequents. But she knew reality from fiction, and besides, he wasn't her type.

Though she concurred, "Hubba-Hubba indeed…"

Weiss rolls her eyes, "please this is Namikaze we're talking about."

She got up and walked over toward the door, looking through the creak, "I mean seriously he couldn't…possibly…"

Words fell off, her heart stopped, "oh my…"

"So, ladies why are we ogling my friend for," Yang suddenly said while standing behind them.

It caused them to jump, Ruby looked at Yang, rubbing the back of her head with a blush. Weiss was able to play it off, huffing as she went into the bathroom to get ready. Blake, however, was stuck in the same boat as Ruby.

Yang looks at her sister, "Ruby…what's this Hubba-Hubba I keep hearing about?"

"Well…um…Naruto," she nervously mumbles, "looks really good."

"Oh," Yang looked through the creak, "wow…Foxy is foxy~"

Blake sighs as she looked at Yang, "I thought you said it was a friendly outing and not a date?"

"I did say that," Yang agreed as she rubbed her chin. "Though I have to admit for a _friendly outing_ he's all dressed up."

"So are you!" Ruby accuses.

Yang was wearing a good pair of jeans with a long sleeve yellow button up shirt on. She had a red undershirt to hide the bra she was wearing. Which was contrasting against the yellow fabric, it wasn't that she was embarrassed, she doesn't like getting ogled by random people.

"Well excuse me, Rubes, I gotta follow a fox down a rabbit hole," she pushes her way gently past Ruby.

Ruby stops her, "hey if he pulls any weird stuff…"

"Come on Ruby," Yang pats her sister's head. "Naruto wouldn't do that, and you're just trying to act grown up."

She pinches her sister's cheek, " it is adorable."

Ruby stood there flabbergasted as Yang walked out of the room. Red like roses, Ruby grumbles about her sister and blondes. She watches Blake giggle in the back of the room.

"Not funny!" She childishly wails.

Naruto looks at Yang, slightly with his mouth agape, she walked over to him. They both then felt something come over them, it was nervousness. The two tried to make small talk, but nothing came out. It was like something blocked them, something blocked them from saying the wrong thing and the right thing.

She spoke up, "foxy looking foxy," and failed miserably.

Naruto nervously laughed at the compliment, "well thanks Yang…you're looking very…Yangy."

Both laughed nervously before walking down the hallway.

* * *

Yang was sipping her tea as she looked at Naruto, he was rubbing his palm. He hadn't touched his tea once so ever, and he seemed to be nervous. Slowly, but surely, she giggled as she looked at him. It caught his attention, maybe she saw something that was funny and looked behind.

There was a wall behind him, and he ended smashing his nose into it.

"Oh, Gods this is terrible," she laughs out as she looked at him, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Naruto looked at her, "so what's terrible?"

"Oh, nothing, I just…can't find any topics." She handed him a napkin, "its weird you know?"

"Yeah, Dattebayo…" Naruto verbal tick caused him to wince.

She smiles, "you know the verbal tick thing is…kind of cute."

 _'_ _Really?'_ Naruto thought for a moment, "um…thanks."

"You," Naruto looked for something to say. "You have…um…great eyes."

Yang blushed a little bit, giggling, "well thank you."

"You certainly look like you sail the ocean blue with yours, so…did your mother have the same color?" Yang asks as she watches him smile.

Finally, something they could talk about!

"She had grayish blue eyes, my dad had the ocean blues. My mom's round face, however so is mine, so instead of being a tomato…I was called her little lemon." Naruto nervously revealed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"That's hilarious," Yang laughed. "My dad called me his little Sunshine Dragon."

"Aww, well it certainly fits, you do have a bright personality!" Naruto stated without thinking.

He blushes afterward, "well…you're also funny."

"Really?" She questioned him, most people found her puns annoying at best.

"Yeah, seriously, you're a _punny_ gal," Naruto says with a smile.

She snorts in laughter. That was a very good pun, and he was right, she was very _punny_. She watches him take a drink of his tea, it had been boiling hot when he had gotten it. She watches as he sips the now lukewarm tea, seemingly trying to keep from seeming boorish.

"You know Naruto," she got her scroll out, "Ruby did upload that to ValeBook and ValeTube."

"Upload what?" Naruto watches as she plays the video, "aww…man…"

It was him playing with Zwei, using his ears. The teen laughed though, it was kind of cute. She watches as the Fox Faunus finished his tea. Yawning a little bit, she then noticed a burn mark on his right palm.

"Hey," she points it out, "what happened to your hand?"

"I am training to master an aura technique," Naruto admitted as he had a goofy smile come on his face. "It's a powerful attack, something I didn't think Kakashi would teach me."

"Wait," Yang eyed him a little, "you're getting private training?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered as he rubs his hand again. "I am not doing it because I think I'm better, I am doing it because I want to be the best at what I am doing."

"I want to be the greatest Huntsman that ever lived," Naruto boasted his dream. "I kind of want to be that type of guy that Grimm run away from instead of toward."

"Well Grimm don't have a concept of fear so…" Yang teases as she watches him get flustered a little bit.

Naruto chuckles soon afterward, "but I guess my goals are shifting. I want to be powerful so I can protect people, especially you guys."

Yang blushed a little bit, "you guys?"

"Yeah," Naruto pointed out. "You, Ruby, Coco, Blake, Yats, Dove, Fox, Velvet, Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora, Ren and I'll even throw Weiss on there."

"But we don't need protecting," Yang huffed a little bit. "We're going to be Huntsmen and Huntresses ourselves."

"Yeah…well…" Naruto blushed as he realized his statement, "I'm sorry…I just wanted to say that I want to be strong so I can always have everyone's back."

Yang looked at him, smiling, "well I've got your back then."

"Ever since I was a little girl all I wanted to be is strong, and I trained and trained…" Yang smiled brightly as she looked at him, "and I'm willing to bet P-money in a one on one fight."

"Oh, Pyrrha, I think you can take her on!" The Fox Faunus states with gusto.

"Seriously," Yang asks as she looked at his boasting, "you think I can take her on?"

"Yeah," Naruto smiles as he spoke, "and win."

"Well glad someone has confidence in me, Ruby reveres Pyrrha. But to tell you the truth I have always wanted to have a rematch with you, since the first day…I…misjudged you." She suddenly changed the tone and sighed.

"I'm not going to be the type of person to have skeletons in the closet," Yang looked him in the eye. "Back in Signal I vaguely knew who you were, you never talked to anyone…and you never acknowledged anyone other than my dad and my uncle."

"My girlfriends and I…well…we thought you were some spoiled rich loser," Naruto looked slightly hurt by the comment, but then Yang smiled.

"But then you went toe to toe with me, then you started to show that through the doom and gloom you were a sunflower. I mean, holy crap, you beat down four people over a friend. That's some next level good nature stuff right there, and then I have to admit…I kind of hate myself…because I judged you before knowing you." Yang watches as Naruto's gaze softened.

He smiles a little bit, "I'm not angry, I get it."

"I just didn't feel like making myself friends, and that was a mistake. I felt alone, but like I told Dove earlier today that was before I met people like Coco and her team. Then there was you and Ruby, I mean, you could've complained about me coming over for the holidays…but you didn't…" Naruto took a deep breath, "and that's why when I say I want to protect people…its because you're precious to me."

"Every person I say I want to protect is the most precious thing in my life," Naruto admitted as he looked at her. "Because I grew up constantly struggling to find my place in the world…and you all gave me a place."

"A reason," he corrected himself. "You all gave me a true reason to become a Huntsman, not just because of a promise I made my mother…but for myself."

"You know what I mean?" Naruto asked Yang, "sorry if it sounded weird…"

"No, I get it, seriously." Yang laughs as he and her lock eyes.

She smiles with a blush on her cheeks, "we should do more of these friendly outings."

"We really should," Naruto chuckled. "So…wanna hit up a diner sometime next week?"

"Sure!" Yang finished her tea, "but I'm actually kind of hungry right now though…"

"Don't you have to meet up with Ruby and your team?" Naruto asks as he got up, placing a few lien on the table.

She gushes a little as she spoke, "I can always be fashionably late."


	26. Season Two Episode Three: Duck And A Fox

Sasuke was walking along a deserted path. It was Mt. Glenn, the worse disaster in all of Vale's history. Not even twenty years ago Mt. Glenn was looking to be a prosperous section of Vale City. From all Sasuke gathered from the elders, ever knowledgeable, a traitor allowed this disaster to happen.

A madman, driven by lust. Lust for knowledge, in a way that lust was just as deadly as the lust of the flesh. The desolate roads, the seedy alleyways and the stink of death hanged in the air. He didn't care, even as snow fell around him.

Insulting the very ground, a consecrated area of disaster, with the purest of the all-weather affair. However, sightseeing wasn't what brought him here. He instead was hunting, not Grimm, a much more dangerous game. Sasuke turns on his heel just in the nick of time to avoid an arrow.

Suddenly the area exploded to life around him, automatons spilled from abandoned shops. All brandishing staff-like weapon, spinning it around as they advanced forward. Meant to capture him, perhaps kill him slowly, their controller torturing him for information.

Sasuke, as he sliced through the first one to reach him, merely scoffed at their presence. The black-haired youth sees golden eyes in the rubble from where the arrow flew from, more automatons emerging from the building.

Obviously, whoever the eyes belonged to, they play the game well. His eyes turn red as the tree tomoe emerge around them. Lightning crackles to life in his hands, dashing and weaving through the robots. He slices through them, his sword imbued with the lightning as well.

The automatons, humanoid in nature, spoke through crackles and static. A language that only they could speak and Sasuke couldn't possibly have a hope to decipher. He jumps back, just as two larger automatons give chase.

Slicing their limbs off as they leap at him. Sasuke turns around and stabbed one through the head, black oil exploded out from it. At least, he thinks it is oil, the smell was all wrong. Slicing the next few apart, running along the building's walls around him.

He noted that these automatons weren't rusted or decrypt. Whoever had them here had recently built them, and by the looks of them, they were Atlasian in nature. Stabbing through the chest of an automaton, Sasuke kicks it away just as he stabbed his blade into the ground.

"Chidori Nagashi!" Sasuke yells out as lightning flowed through the ground.

The flows of lightning impacted their targets, frying their circuits. All the robots it hit fell into heaps of junk amidst the rubble. He turns to face where the bearer of golden eyes had been. The shot from their bow missing its mark, perhaps it stunned them enough to make them retreat?

After all, if it had been anyone else it'd been a kill shot.

The last automaton jumps up, attempting to ram Sasuke through. But the youth merely backed up before slicing it in half with his sword. He spun his blade in his hand before clicking it back into his scabbard.

Only that was a mistake as he was forced to jump back as several sigils appear on the ground near him. He sidestepped before jumping toward a building and landing in its balcony. There, a masked figure stared at him.

The masked figure was female, the very high-pitched tone of her chuckle was anything to go by. A wave of her black gloves and more sigils appear on the balcony he was on. Sasuke's eyes widened as his eye's tomoe spun around.

Soon, a massive explosion took out the building as the sigils exploded all at once. The masked woman in the street strode past the broken machines, which began to break down and erode by means unknown. She formed a bow, forming a glass arrow and nocking it gently onto the dust string.

Suddenly snow began to fall around her. Chuckling under her breath, her golden eyes peaked from under her mask. Shining through the darkness, she saw some of the snow flakes suddenly shift directions before heading toward her.

Transforming her bow into a sword of flames she smacked the snowflakes away. The snowflakes that had been smacked away transform with puffs of smoke into shuriken, clattering against the rubble and metal if they hit the debris.

Her eyes behind the mask widened as she saw energetic strings suddenly emerge around her. Tying her into place, but also trailing off into buildings. A tight pull indicated they were apart of something before she saw windmill like shuriken emerge from the buildings.

They spun rapidly, the air around them sharper than a scalpel blade. She breaks free of the wires by burning them away before jumping back and weaving herself between two of the shuriken while in midair.

Snow began to fall heavily around her. She felt like something was off, then she cursed under her breath at the realization of what happened. Her mistress had taught so many times already, in the last four months, never look particular people in the eye.

She looked right into his.

"So," she spoke with delight, "The Duck."

Sasuke emerged from behind her, holding a sword against her back. She looks over her shoulder, smirking under her mask, her red painted lips formed a small smile. The warrior held his chokuto at her lower back, threatening to penetrate her if she moved.

"As much as I hate that nickname," Sasuke said with a growl. "I'm more interested on how you came to know about it.'

She chuckles some more, it was a like game to her, "simple…my lady wants you."

"Heh," Sasuke mockingly snickered. "Tell her to get in line."

"Oh no, not like that," the masked woman replies calmly.

Sasuke pressed the blade against her back, "talk."

"Okay," she calms him down a little, "what do want?"

"Why are these robots her, and more importantly why are _you_ here?" Sasuke growls his questionnaire.

The girl merely shrugs, "I don't know…I was bored."

"Bullshit," Sasuke cursed at her. "If you know my nickname…you know what I am."

"Oh, but of course, Shinobi." The girl in the mask mocks a little.

Sasuke hisses a little, "that energy you were using is chakra, where did you learn it?"

"Hmm," she hummed as her eyes turned to his. "I killed for it."

Suddenly her body began to glow brightly before heating up, Sasuke's eyes widened before he backed away before she explodes. Suddenly an arrow came flying from the bell tower that was at the center of Mt. Glenn's ruined city. Sasuke's slashes it out of the air with his chokuto, looking up at the masked woman.

He lands on the ground, glaring at the bell tower before his eyes widened as a massive number of sigils began to appear along the street. They soon explode, filling the area with flames that rushes toward him.

Sasuke grimaces as he clicked his sword back into the sheath before lurching back. He begins exhaling a highly condensed ball of flames. The two surges of fire impact each other, making the area become burnt as the fires cancel each other out.

The woman looked down from the bell tower before she realized that Sasuke was gone. She readied her sword just in time to block the raven-haired youth from taking her head. Both moved along the narrow walkway of the bell tower and traded blows.

Sparks of flame shot off from her sword as his lightning amplified blade contacted hers. She leans back and manages to barely dodge a strike meant for her neck. Sasuke however then took the opportunity to follow through and side kicked her off the tower.

Through his eyes he could see black spots moving in her body, Grimm. She wasn't a normal person, and she wasn't a Faunus from the basic look over. The woman landed on the ground, a smirk on her face as she leaps up and counters Sasuke's downward slash with her own sword.

Both locked eyes, with Sasuke's tomoe spinning, time began to move slowly as he faded into the snowflakes.

"Genjutsu," she commented as she snapped her fingers. "Not bad for a fledgling."

She walks into the center of the town, "but you've guessed by now that illusionary techniques like that are useless when I counter with my own."

"I have to admit," she put her hands together, "this battle has me excited."

She took a deep breath before her aura exploded around her, dispersing the snowflakes around her. Exposing Sasuke that was right in front of her, readying a Chidori ready to plunge itself into her chest. She sidestepped him, he barely dodges in time when she tried to take his own head.

He backed away and turns on his heel to face her, readying himself.

Turning around to face him she took note that she had a small bit of blood on her arm. It wasn't hers, however, and she saw where she had managed to cut Sasuke's cheek open. She hunted for some duck, but it was a start. After all she remained uninjured, and since he didn't have an aura barrier like her it wouldn't matter if he got a lucky clean blow in or two.

Sasuke's free hand suddenly crackled to life with lightning pouring from it, he slung it forward. Dozens of lightning needles poured forth from it, barely missing her as she weaved through them. However, when she got close, she was forced to back off as a lance of lightning energy appeared out of the same hand.

Taking a deep breath, she jumps back while sending several balls of flames toward him. He dodges them, weaving through them even though she guided them. Landing on a nearby broke down car Sasuke reversed the grip on his sword.

He weaved one-handed seals before bringing his thumb and index finger up toward his mouth. He breathed out many small little wisps of fire that barreled towards the masked woman, but she surprised him by merely forming an ice barrier in front of herself.

"Not quite that close," she mocked. "But an A for effort."

"Shut up," Sasuke growled as he began to ready himself, "and fight."

She obliges him by forming two swords of flame. They both ran a full sprint, clashing lightning in the fire in spectacular fashion. The sparks filled the air around them, time itself slowed down between the dueling pair. Each calculating and planning each slash and thrust. Each trying, desperately, to get an edge on one another.

She may not show it openly, but the masked woman was starting to get bogged down a little. It showed finally when one of her swords disappeared and didn't reform, she cursed under her breath as Sasuke slashed a cut into her right torso.

His lightning enhanced blade even cutting through her aura!

"For the record," Sasuke suddenly throws a kick backward and sends her sprawling into a building. "I'm not a Duck…I'm a Hawk."

She emerges from the building, "not bad…you certainly are living up to your dossier."

"Tch," Sasuke scoffed as he walks toward her. "You can take that to grave then…"

She smirks as she backed away, "sorry…but this is where our game ends."

Suddenly a loud screech filled the air as two Creep Grimm emerged from behind the woman in the mask. They ran full sprint toward Sasuke, but unlike normal Grimm, they were green in color. Sasuke's senses blared warnings out at the visible sign of minor traces of energy within them.

He jumped back in time as the Grimm explode. Their explosion wasn't spectacular, but if he had been caught and held down in their maws, he'd been dead. The Shinobi looked at the area, noting the eroding metal of the automatons.

Whatever they were made from was designed to quickly age after losing an electrical current. Slowly he sheaths his sword back into the scabbard with a click, looking toward Vale and most importantly Beacon Academy.

Sasuke reached over and clutched the necklace he held. It had a cut along the metal of it, it had saved him from getting a very serious wound during the clashing with the masked woman.

Suddenly a new face landed in the clearing, "Sasuke!"

The new face had long blue hair, ocean blue eyes, and his dark skin was betrayed by a white skull-like tattoo on his face. The man looked at the teen in front of him, he was built like a monster. He had the body of a tank and stood tall enough to make Sasuke look like a child.

"I'm fine Getsuga…" Sasuke acknowledged the tall man, "you look like you've seen a fight."

"Gamanaishi got me here as quickly as possible," Getsuga stated as he looked at the snow-covered rubble. "Do you think Vale will notice that a battle took place here?"

"I doubt it," Sasuke scoffed as he turned away from Beacon. "The Elder has my thanks for getting you here…but I can take care of myself now."

"Heh," Getsuga sneered as he walked with Sasuke. "You hold onto that necklace a lot you know…nowadays."

"My best friend gave this to me," Sasuke told the giant man, "and I intend to return it to him one day if we should meet."

Naruto was tossing and turning as he laid in his bed. Sweat rolled down his face as he felt something burning on his right palm. However, for whatever reason, he couldn't wake up. The blonde's body contorted as if it was being struck, and slowly he began to recede deep into his consciousness.

* * *

 _The world around him was dark, showing him only a copy of himself. This copy, however, was much younger, probably ten years old, a couple of years after the death of his mother. He had bruises all over him, a tall man stood in front of him before punching him down._

 _Slowly as he tried to pick himself up again the man crashed another fist into the back of his head. It had been the hardest time of Naruto's life, something he hadn't gotten over yet. The abusive man was the man Mistral's CPS had given him too._

 _On the outside, the man was caring, sweet, and had a lovely wife. However, behind the closed doors, the man and woman hated Faunus. She would shout racial slurs at him, and since he had ankle monitor for being a "flight risk" he couldn't leave._

 _In the corner of the room, knocked out, was a raven-haired youth. He had tried to intervene in a beating session, but the man wouldn't have it. Punching him one last time, the man then planted his foot on Naruto's chest._

 _"_ _You little critter, you flea written bastard, who do you think you are to snap at us! Useless animal, we got you so you could clean up the house, just like the other boy! Yet, I catch you talking about dreams, Faunus are servants, not Huntsmen!" The spat as he ground his foot into Naruto's chest._

 _His wife calls out to him, making the man stop. The younger child in the corner looked over at Naruto as he awakened. He looked at the broken bed where Naruto had been thrown, there was a bedpost with a nail sticking out of it._

 _"_ _Sasuke…" Naruto called out, "I think…he…busted my leg."_

 _"_ _Naruto," Sasuke looked the blue-eyed Faunus in the eye. "We need to…leave."_

 _"_ _We can't," Naruto lamented as he heard the man arguing with his wife. "And Mistral doesn't give a damn about us."_

 _"_ _We need to go," Sasuke reassured him as he walks over toward the bedpost while limping._

 _He got the bedpost, tossing it over to Naruto before slumping down. The blonde looks at it before nodding scared out of his mind. He could hear the man coming back upstairs, stumping, cussing up a storm as to what he was going to do when he got ahold of him once more._

 _To think this started over an accidentally broken vase._

 _Naruto steeled himself, he held onto the bedpost tightly before the man finally stepped in. Using whatever bit of aura, he had left Naruto slams the bedpost and sinks the nail deep into the man's knee. It makes him shout out, fall to the ground, and look up as the blonde brought the bedpost's down against his head._

 _He didn't hit him with the nail side, he wouldn't be a murderer!_

 _Sasuke crawls over quickly, grabbing the gun the man always kept on him. Just in case Mistral decided to make a surprise visit and discover the abuse that was going on. However, it a was all for naught since Mistral didn't give a damn about them._

 _The wife comes running in, but Sasuke points the gun at her, "don't move!"_

 _"_ _You bastard, we cared for you!" The wife screamed at the raven-haired youth._

 _"_ _Shut up!" Sasuke yelled as he got up and reached at the device keys they kept on their ankles._

 _He got them, tossing them over to Naruto who got his ankle monitor off first. He then crawled over to Sasuke getting his off. The two looked at one another before Naruto tackled the woman onto the ground and Sasuke knocked her out._

 _They quickly got a change of clothes on and ran out of the building. They were out in the boonies, so there was a small forest between them and Mistral. Running as fast as they could, both the youths scurried for freedom._

 _Hobbling along sometimes, Naruto felt tears bristling at his eyes as he felt his necklace bounce around in his neck. Sasuke looked at the blonde, smiling, they were free!_

 _That's when the howling started. Sasuke looked behind them to see Grimm, Beowolfs to be exact. Some crashed into the house they had been in, while a couple went after them. Naruto looked at Sasuke, who keeps running as best as possible._

 _"_ _Don't stop running!" Sasuke screams as he hobbled beside Naruto._

 _"_ _There's a river that leads to Wind Path!" Naruto shouts, having studied the map._

 _He had been planning an escape for a year now. Sasuke nodded as he and Naruto ran through the underbrush of the forest. The demonic wolves closing faster and faster. Naruto looked back at Sasuke who was falling behind._

 _That's when he felt it, his necklace getting snacked on a branch before breaking. He wanted to stop, but he knew of he did he'd die!_

 _Sasuke saw the small river that Naruto was talking about. But as Naruto managed to get along the shore. Residing himself to braving the rapids, Sasuke stopped. He saw a small broken boat with a sharp piece of wood._

 _"_ _Sasuke c'mon!" Naruto screamed._

 _"_ _No," Sasuke shook his head, "you go!"_

 _"_ _What are you talking about?!" Naruto screams as he felt pushed into the river by Sasuke._

 _He looked at the slightly older boy that he came to call brother, "Sasuke?!"_

 _The older boy had a smile on his face, "hey doofus…go be a Huntsmen!"_

 _He runs over toward the boat and grabs the wood. Naruto hung on to the rock as he saw the Beowolfs crash through the forest and coming onto the shoreline. The blonde watches as Sasuke calls over to them, cursing at them, and forcing them to go after him._

 _Naruto whimpers as he hears Sasuke constantly screaming and cussing at the monsters. That's when he tries to pull himself to the shore but loses his grip and begins to flow down the river. Unable to do anything but use his aura to keep himself from going under._

 _"_ _Sasuke!" He screams._

 _He struggles in the waters as he saw Sasuke run into the forest where the Beowolfs follow._

 _"_ _SASUKE!"_

* * *

Naruto leaps out of bed, running to the bathroom where he retches and vomits. He feels cold, he investigates his reflection on the porcelain throne. His eyes were blood red, his facial expression wild and unkempt. Was it the darkness inside of him? It was constantly trying, and that memory was the hardest memory he had ever lived through besides his mother's death.

The day he couldn't save his own best friend.

* * *

Naruto and Kakashi clash forearms as they spar. The Fox Faunus called him from outside of the sparing room, and he sounded frustrated. His punches and kicks communicated the anger he held. The two clashed punches, Kakashi noted that he felt the heat rolling off Naruto.

Kakashi blocked a flurry of punches with his forearms before Naruto ducks under and managed to get a clean hit. The blonde stunned him, he was fighting savagely, it wasn't Toad Kata just a straight up brawl. The security guard barely blocked the powered-up punch that Naruto learned how to throw a few days ago.

The blonde stopped as he looked down at the floor. Kakashi then watches as he just sat on the ground, he looked at his reflection in the stainless-steel floor. He was breathing hard, they had been going at it for about a good hour now. Each time his aura got broken by Kakashi the man would pause a minute and let Naruto just bring it back up to full power.

The teen had a knack for regenerating his aura field when he needed it.

"I'm good…" Naruto breathes out as he looked up at his master, "just a rough night."

"Want to talk about it, kid?" Kakashi inquired as he took a seat on the stainless-steel floor as well.

"Not really, it's a memory that pops up when I feel happy…like I feel guilty. I feel guilty that now I'm strong, but when I needed it the most…" Naruto thought of Sasuke, "I couldn't save a friend of mine."

"So, is that why you always want to protect those close to you?" Kakashi questioned as he sat there, looking right into Naruto's eyes.

"Yeah," Naruto answered as he lowered his head. "I just feel like if I had this type of strength back then…"

"You could change everything," Kakashi finished for him. "I think the same way every day when it comes to Anko and Namida."

"Kakashi," Naruto looked at him in the eyes, "thanks Dattebayo…"

"Don't mention it," he looked at Naruto with a smile. "How far along are you by the way?"

Naruto took a deep breath, he held out his right palm that had burn marks all over it. Kakashi's eyes widened as slowly a small sphere of orange formed in Naruto's hands. It wasn't small because it was weak, it was small because it was highly condensed.

The Fox Faunus chuckles a little bit, "I did the last part on my own. Power and rotation, the rotation was easy for me…it was making condensed that was the problem."

"As good as I am in aura control, and despite my high reserves, I am terrible at new things. But," Naruto commented as he grew the sphere slightly, "I figured out how to expand its size and even make less deadly against people that are alive."

Naruto didn't know it, but Kakashi noticed something, it was that Naruto's Rasengan had a hint of golden energy in the middle. Normally aura color wouldn't be a big deal, but Kakashi knew for a fact _that_ small stipend of energy wasn't aura.

Especially since it was a different color.

Naruto and Kakashi looked at one another, the older man formed a Rasengan of his own as he stood. At first, Naruto was confused, until Kakashi cocked his arm back and nodded. Catching on, Naruto did the same, and both launched their shared technique into one another's.

The attacks ground against each other, but then slowly, Naruto's Rasengan began to falter and disperse. Right about the same time Kakashi's did, they were about equal power despite the young man's being more condensed.

"Well kid," Kakashi placed his hand on Naruto's fox ears and hair. "You won our bet."

"Yeah…" Naruto lowered his head, "but I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor…as my reward."

"And that would be?" Kakashi inquired.

"Can you help me unlock my semblance?" Naruto asks as he looked down at the ground.

Kakashi pondered this for a moment, thinking about it.

He then nods, smiling, "sure…but it won't be easy."


	27. Season Two Episode Four: Dock Party pt 1

Yang was walking with her team through the middle of Vale City's markets. Near the coast of Vale, the docks were full of people going about their day. Ruby was happily bouncing along with Weiss, while Blake was carrying some books she just bought.

"I really don't get why those books became popular," Weiss commented on them. "I mean seriously, its filth."

"I admit the love scenes in them are very detailed, but the body is beautiful," Blake argues as she walks beside Weiss.

"Please," Weiss rolled her as she replied with a snarky snort. "Must we then wear thin clothing and loin clothes?"

"Ninjas of Love is an amazing novella," Yang reassures Blake while agreeing with her, "I mean the fight scenes are good."

Blake looked at Yang with a smile, "should we let Ruby read some?"

"Hah, no, not yet at least." She ruffles her sister's hair.

"Yang!" Ruby sings in annoyance.

Weiss looked at her partner's distress, "well if we had to go shopping for any fashion sense you two have, we'd as well look like mascots."

Ruby held out her hand, "ooh burn."

Weiss slapped it, smirking while standing beside Ruby. Blake rolled her eyes, only to see Velvet and Coco walk up toward them. The two girls waved at the group, smiling brightly, carrying shopping bags full of new clothes.

"Hey, Vel," Yang greets as she waved at them, "and hey Marshmallow."

Coco laughed at her nickname by Yang, "clever, speaking of that we're actually in town shopping right now."

"We can see that," Ruby observed as she noticed the bags. "Where have you all been?"

"The good question is…where _haven't_ we been?" Coco teases as she winks at Ruby.

"Coco and I saw your group, wondering if you wanted to tag along with us." Velvet asks as she smiled brightly, wearing her ear muffs.

Spring was quickly coming in, most of the snow had melted, and now it was nearing March. The rabbit Faunus's ears had begun to shed, they never changed color, but it was still annoying. It was the one thing she hated about being a Faunus.

Other than that, she benefited from the super hearing it gave her.

"Oh, speaking of shopping, I heard you and our little foxy friend went on a date, Yang." Coco sang out while eyeing the blonde slyly.

Yang rubs the back of her head, chuckling nervously, "it was a friendly outing."

"My oh my, this happened nearly two weeks ago, and I only find the time to ask about now. How careless of me, right Vel?" Coco continues to tease as she looked at her friend.

The scarlet-haired girl laughed a little, "it is a little uncaring."

"So," Coco inquires as she smiles brightly, "did you and he have a good time. Details girl, details."

"We did, we talked for a little bit. We both agreed to catch dinner one day, but we've both been so busy each day we've come up with to meet up hasn't panned out. Tests left and right, combat training, and plus there's Picasso's art." Yang lamented slightly, rubbing her right arm.

Ruby smiled and placed her hand on Yang's shoulder, "I'm sure he's not avoiding you."

"I know," Yang sighed a little. "He's pretty sweet, but we both agreed not to call it a date."

"Well if that's what you want, that's what you want. Now, being honest, its best to just let things happen naturally. Go with that gut," Coco jabs at Yang playfully in her exposed midsection, "if you want something more than friendship then don't wait."

"But," Coco tittered as she looked at Yang. "If you want my opinion, you two have more in common than you think."

Velvet laughs a little at Yang's blush, "but that's not a bad thing, I mean you're an awesome person and so is he."

"Yeah," Yang admitted with a small laugh. "You're right on that."

"My sis is awesome," Ruby reassured Yang as she crossed her arms. "I mean, c'mon, who'd actually take her in a fist fight?"

"Well…I technically could." Velvet points out, "but I don't really like fighting hand to hand."

"Pfft I would like to see you try," Yang challenged Velvet. "I was the best hand to hand combatant of my year."

"Well, next spar in Glynda's, I'll take you on." Velvet accepted with a smirk, holding out her fist.

Yang bumps, "sure thing, your own."

"Good," Velvet smirked as she agrees to the match, "well we need to be going."

Blake watches as Velvet and Coco leave, probably going to do more shopping. She adjusted her books in her hand, and soon Team R.W.B.Y resumed their walk of the docks. Blake looked over her shoulder, watching people discuss recent dust robberies.

A brief mention of White Fang was all she needed to get interested at just how many stores have been robbed. In fact, the entire street of Dust Shops on the road they walked had broken windows and damaged doors. This was the work of a large organization; the only problem was that there were many gangs in Vale.

With the Black Rose Gang back in business as well it was a stretch to assume White Fang. She sighed, thinking about it would only leave a headache. She looked at her group as they discuss the events, with Ruby looking at the shops saddened.

More than likely she felt horrible for the people hurt.

"We really should be doing something about this," Ruby stated as she looked at her sister. "Whoever behind this needs to face justice!"

Weiss nods as she looked at her team lead, "I think it's the White Fang. I mean you see it all over ValeBook and ValeTube of people taking video of them robbing stores."

"I don't think its that simple Weiss," Blake argued lightly as she adjusted her books once more.

"How is it not? They're filthy thieves and brigands, they have no quarrel about harming others and I even heard of a group _branding_ people. Tell me, what kind of person other than a savage would do that?" Weiss argues as she and the group resume their walk along the docks.

"That's not true, a few Faunus may engage in that behavior, but that doesn't make them all crazy. They're just misguided," Blake countered as they walk along the docks.

"Misguided people don't just kidnap people or kill them for that matter," Weiss states as she and her team rounded a corner.

"Hey guys," Yang stands between them and drapes her arms over both. "We're supposed to be having fun and spying on the competition."

"Yes," Weiss remembered as she looked toward the docks. "Despite the Vytal Tournament being seven months away people will already start coming into Vale as transfer students."

"It's a tactical advantage, know thy enemy." Ruby cheerfully pointed out as they notice the beautiful clear sky.

Blake rolls her eyes, "we should be focusing more on Pyrrha then."

"Yeah," Weiss agrees but then shrugs, "but Jaune will just drag her down."

The bow wearing girl in the group sighs, "love will do that to you."

"Secret boyfriend, past lover, ooh we must know." Yang pried sheepishly.

Blake gave a Yang a look, "not even going to indulge you on that."

"Darn, why do have to _Bella_ on me?" Yang punned with sly grin crossing her lips.

"Ugh," complained Blake as pinched her nose, "that was terrible…"

"Hey someone finds them funny," the lilac eyed brawler playfully teased.

Suddenly they heard some commotion, they quickly jog over toward one of the docks where they see a Monkey Faunus hanging upside down on a light post. Two Vale detectives were around him, glaring up at him as he ate a banana. The Faunus stuck his tongue out at the detectives before slinging himself onto the docks.

"Well, Weiss, I think that's the competition." Yang points out as he threw his banana peel into the ocean.

He spun on his heel and sprinted up the docks and ran quickly past the group of the girls. However, as he looked over at Blake time seemed to slow down. He smirked and gave her a wink before continuing his escape.

"Quick, we must observe him!" Weiss rallies the girls before springing into action and running after the Faunus.

The Schnee heiress rounds a corner, only to run into an orange haired girl with bright green eyes. She, however, got up and observed without care for the girl as the Faunus got away. She looked down, finally at the girl.

"Oh, so sorry, are you okay?!" Weiss questions as she holds out her hand.

"I am fantastic!" The girl cheerfully answers, but strangely kept laying on the ground.

Yang looked at her, "are you sure…cause you're still looking like you got hit by a dump truck."

"Oh," the girl suddenly gets to her feet, "sorry about that!"

"No biggie, so…um…are you sure you're okay?" Yang asks as she looked the girl over, noticing no scrapes or contusions.

"I'm at one hundred percent efficiency!" The girl oddly says while giving them a bright and cheerful smile.

"Well, okay then, we better get going. Take care friend!" Ruby corrals her team and they began to walk away.

Yang felt something off about the girl, "she was…weird."

"Can't believe she blocked us from getting that Faunus riff-raff…" Weiss grumbled.

"Hello!" The girl suddenly appeared in front of them.

All the girls stand in shock as the girl from earlier suddenly stood in front of them. Weiss was trying to calculate, but all she could manage was pointing to where they had been and pointing toward the girl. If she had a semblance and was a big IF, she was super fast.

"What did you call me?" The girl asks as she seemingly looked at Weiss.

"Oh, not you, um…" she suddenly watches the girl walk past them.

"Not you," she looked at Ruby while answering Weiss, "you."

"Oh, um, friend…hehehe…" Ruby nervously laughs.

"Are you really my friend?" The girl questioned as she looked right into Ruby's eyes.

She failed to notice Blake, Yang, and Weiss begging Ruby silently to say no. All she had to do was simply utter a two-letter word, and everything would probably go back to normal for the day. However, Ruby Rose hardly obeyed and did what she wanted.

Even if she felt pressured.

"Um, sure, yeah…" her team fell down behind the girl, "you're my friend…I guess?"

"Spectacular!" The girl suddenly cheered as she grapples Ruby into a tight hug.

Letting go when the girl starting moaning in pain, "terribly sorry I forget my own strength sometimes."

"Its cool…ow…nothing like a friendly bear hug." She tries to laugh off, but she was sore.

"Anyway, my name is Ruby," Ruby reveals as she looked at her team.

Weiss was the first to answer, "Weiss Schnee."

"Blake," Blake simply answered without much emotion.

Yang all the while just stared at her, "are you sure you didn't hit your head?"

The bow-wearing girl suddenly forearm checked her partner, making Yang yelp a little, "I mean I'm Yang!"

"I am Penny Polendina, it is a pleasure to meet all you!" She states with the same cheerful attitude thus far.

Ruby chuckles a little bit, "that's a cute name."

"Thank you," Penny excitedly proclaimed. "So, friend what shall we do first? Go shopping, gossip about the daily teenage life, or talk about cute boys!"

"Uh…" Ruby was totally confused at this point.

"Well we were just on our way back to Beacon," Weiss tried to get them away from her. "We're Huntresses in training."

"Oh, what a spectacular coincidence, so am I!" Penny reveals and makes them all just sigh.

"Of course, you are…wait…" Weiss suddenly eyes the girl, "are you a Huntress in training as well?"

"Yes ma'am, I am here to participate in the Vytal Tournament!" Penny exclaims as she seemed just genuinely happy.

"Uh no offense," Yang observed the young girl. "You certainly don't look the part."

"I assure you I am combat ready!" She salutes them, smiling along the way.

"Uh, well, it is not that Yang is questioning your ability to fight…its just that you're wearing normal outfit." Blake points as she observed the girl further.

"Hey, we were skirts, and they're called combat skirts!" Weiss argues, choosing to side with Penny to learn about her some more.

Ruby slides over by Yang, "yeah," before giving her a low five.

"The only thing we wished you didn't do was to keep us from getting that Faunus rapscallion." Weiss then said while Blake suddenly glares at her.

"I think that's enough Weiss, seriously…" the midnight beauty growls.

"What?" Weiss looks confused, "I'm being honest he probably was a member of The White Fang."

Penny looks at Ruby and Yang, "I should get going back to Beacon!"

"Okay, Penny, take care!" Ruby calls out to her while the girl walks off.

Though, her two most senior teammates kept arguing amongst each other. Finally, it ends with Blake just shouting at Weiss, something that made Ruby go and stand beside Yang. She felt very uncomfortable about the situation.

"Um…guys…please don't fight…" Ruby tries to control the situation.

However, Blake then yells at Weiss, "you're such a spoiled brat!"

"Excuse me?!" Weiss yells.

"You heard me, a spoiled brat, an ignorant one at that as well!" Blake continued as she laid into Weiss, "you're so stupid sometimes, and you're supposed to be smart?!"

"Excuse me I happen to have perfect grades," Weiss pointed out. "While you lack in the B department."

"At least I have Bs instead of looking like a boy cross-dressing!" Blake shot back, it was starting to get petty.

"How…dare you!" Weiss growls as she and Blake glared at one another. "At least I don't have a dress like an escort!"

"Whatever, I'm going back to Beacon!" Blake yells as she walks away from the group.

"Um, wow, that was pretty low Weiss…seriously over some Faunus?" Yang observes as she looked at the heiress.

"Zip it!" Weiss yells as she walks away, "I don't want to hear anything from anyone right now!"

 _'_ _Seriously, you can a bitch sometimes…'_ Yang thought as she and Ruby walked behind both of their disgruntled teammates.

* * *

"Knight!" Naruto calls out as he watches Dove and Cardin crisscross each other in a run.

The rusty-haired teen smashes a dummy in the midsection to launch it into the air. Dove appeared above it, using his super strength semblance to slice the metal dummy in half. Another dummy was pulled from the shed by Russel.

Team C.R.D.N went and got some more dummies from the shed to help Russel out. The quartet got their area set up while cleaning up scrap. They had decided to do some team building exercises as Naruto felt like they were lacking teamwork.

"Okay guys, Knight is pretty good…" Naruto thought about something, " let's run Orange Bird!"

He and Dove took off at a dummy Russel set up, with Naruto flipping over it and angling himself to be faced toward the ground. Dove went low, aiming to slice the legs of the dummy off while Naruto sliced its head off at the same time.

But before he could fall fully to the ground Dove grabs his leg. He spun around once before launching the blonde Fox Faunus into the air where he activated Red Flower's bow mode. He created several aura arrows and launches them into the dummies below.

All of them were killing shots, head, and chest. Naruto landed back on the ground, slightly limping on his right leg. Looking at the dummies he smirked, all his shots had been killing blows. Dove nodded, before turning on his heel.

Cardin and Russel had set up their duet attack.

"Okay guys, finish strong with Rusty Crush!" Dove called out to them.

Cardin roars out as Russel throws him into the air, gathering potential energy in the form of his semblance. The longer Cardin remained air born the more wind he could gather around his mace in a concussive blast.

Russel throws his knives out, using his semblance of creating aura strings to guide the knives into the targets. He then pulls them together, just in time for Cardin slam into them and destroys them. The team stood over their work, seeing smashed metal dummies around the forest.

Naruto had to give Cardin credit, he went out of his way to use useless scrap metal from his parent's shops and made these dummies for use. Naruto saw that there was a bigger one, smirking as he placed his hands in front of him.

"Hey guys," Naruto calls out to them, "five lien says I can send that bigger metal dummy into the nearby river!"

"With one attack," Cardin laughed as he looked at Naruto. "I'll take that bet."

"Count me in," Russel flashed a five as well.

Dove shrugs, getting out the five, "you realize you owe us fifteen if you lose."

"Oh, I know," Naruto said while focusing. "But thanks for the free snack."

"It's something I've been training in secret for the past week to perfect," Naruto tells them as a ball of orange forms in his right hand.

His left hand hanged above his right to subject the orb to a rotation. Slowly a small screech filled the air as the ball formed, and Naruto smirks as he ran full on at the target. He simulated dodging maneuvers along the way. Dove's expression turned from excitement to shock as Naruto slammed the ball of energy into the target.

A loud bang ensues as the target was blasted backward by the spiraling ball of energy. Crashing through a small tree, where parts of it embedded into a few larger trees nearby. The head landed in the river, however, with Naruto cheerfully looking over at his team.

"Pay up suckers," Naruto held out his hand.

The team walked over to him, well except for Dove, and handed him his well earned five lien. The teen sighed, finally walking over to Naruto and handing him his own five lien. The Fox Faunus walks with his team toward the locker rooms, he was sweat covered and muddy.

The snow was melting away, finally.

He looked at his scroll, noticing a text from Yang. He opened the text up, it was of her saying hi to him. The text had been sent a half an hour earlier, and Naruto smiled as he called her. He stood there as his team went on by him, intent to get the grime and filth off.

"Hey there Lilac," Naruto cheerfully said. "What's going on?"

 _"_ _Oh, nothing much, Weiss and Blake got into an argument. Hey, are you free?"_ She asked.

"Just got done with training," Naruto answered her with a smile. "Want to hit up that dinner I was talking about?"

 _"_ _Yeah, sure, why not. I'll be ready in an hour, I may end up bringing Ruby with me if Blake and Weiss continuing bickering."_ Yang replies, and she even turns the scroll to where he could hear them.

"Yikes," he grimaced. "Sounds bad."

 _"_ _You've got no idea,"_ Yang chuckled. _"See you in an hour whiskers!"_

The line went dead as she hung up, Dove was standing behind Naruto. He was chuckling as Cardin took notice, laughing a little as well. He blushes a little bit at the teasing, and then Dove finally speaks.

"Oh, it's not a date guys, it's a friendly outing. Hey whiskers, what's up lilac…mah-mah-mah!" Dove made kissing noises.

Cardin laughs as he looked at Naruto's blush, "you know man, you're a lucky bastard."

"Yeah," Dove leans on Naruto, "think about it bud. If you two want to have some privacy, we'll leave the dorm room open."

Naruto turns around and whacks both on the head, "will you two quit being idiots, Dattebayo!"

 _"_ _Friend Naruto!"_ Naruto suddenly hears a girl scream; his fox ears poke up.

He turns around, only to get tackled. Dove and Cardin both stood there, mouth agape, as they saw a cute little orange haired girl tackle their leader. It was something out of a movie, a sports movie, where someone got tackled super hard.

The blonde groans as he looked up, to see someone was sitting on his stomach, "eh?"

"Salutations friend!" The bright green-eyed girl cheerfully states.

The Fox Faunus suddenly realized who it was, "Penny?!"

"Surprise," she cheerful said. "I saw a lot of people tackle people they haven't seen in a while, so I decided to do it to you!"

 _'_ _She wrecked into him like a damn car!'_ Dove mentally exclaims as he saw her, _'yet she is so small…kind about the same as Weiss in stature.'_

"Well, it has been nearly two years, I thought you forgot about me…" Naruto replies as he straightened himself out, "could you…get off?"

It wasn't that she was sitting on his stomach, it was that she was seating where someone may get the wrong idea. She quickly nodded, getting up before yanking Naruto to his feet. The boys all looked at each other, minus Naruto, who was smiling at Penny.

"I never forget a friend; my mind will not allow it, old chum!" Penny exclaims as she bumped him on the shoulder, awkwardly.

She looked him over, "you've grown about five inches since we last met."

Dove struggled not to laugh, only to get a glare from Naruto, "shut…it."

"Ooh five inches, that makes Naruto a big boy eh?" Cardin asks the girl, getting a death glare from Naruto.

"Nope, he is basically still a little under the average of an Atlasian citizen!" She exclaimed without thinking.

That was the tipping point as Cardin and Dove rolled on the ground laughing. Naruto was blushing mad, Penny was still clueless as ever to the wiles of her fellow peers. The blonde Fox Faunus looked defeated as he lowered his head to the ground.

"Penny…why," Naruto bemoans as he felt embarrassed, "Dattebayo?"

"Why it is accurate, I took measurements!" Penny states as Naruto only collapsed to the ground in shame.

"She took measurements!" Dove exclaims in laughter, "is that with a ruler or eyeballing it?!"

"I believe I did it with my eyes, so, eyeballing it…" Penny sounded confused, only for Naruto get back up.

"I'm going to kill you both!" Naruto screams at them.

Penny looked at Naruto and then at the boys, "are you Naruto's bullies?"

"No, we're just clowning with him, ahh…" Cardin took a deep breath, "but fuck me running if it wasn't perfect!"

"I don't get it," Penny sounded confused as she looked at Naruto. "What did I say to make them laugh at you?"

Naruto grew scarlet again, "drop it, Penny."

"Yeah…drop it, Penny," Dove teases.

"You shut your mouth, Dove!" The blonde yells as he glared at his partner.

Penny sighs as her eyes briefly glowed, "did I do something wrong, friend?"

"No," Naruto comforted her a little. "My team is just full of jerks sometimes."

"Hey now, we're just playing the game!" Cardin argued as he watches Naruto sulk off with Penny, "ah c'mon on man!"

Dove then looked at Cardin, "okay man, I think we need to stop let them catch up."

* * *

Naruto was walking with Penny through the garden of Beacon's greenhouse. It was located at the far back of the school, she and he were catching up. Regaling each other of old tales, mostly Penny who remembered it down to the smallest detail.

"Then Ilia proceeded to break Io's left arm with her foot," Penny continued as she spoke with Naruto. "I wish Ilia was here, friend Ilia was amazing."

"She was…everything about her was really amazing," Naruto admits as he looked at the sunflowers in the garden.

She looked at them, pointing them out, "your favorite flower!"

"Oh, yeah, I've been secretly bringing in sunflower seeds to grow them. Ozpin caught on, but he's not said anything to me." Naruto told Penny as he walked over to one, noticing some aphids crawling on it.

He sighs, "I really need to get some ladybirds."

He started handpicking the little bugs off the flower, "aphids are the Grimm of the insect world…all they do is destroy things that are lovely."

Turning to Penny, he looked stunned, "wow…Penny that was kind of deep there."

"I just read a book about gardening," she smiled cheerfully. "Aphids are pests, but they are needed to continue a healthy system of life."

Naruto smiles a little, "that's true, but still…"

"I know where we can find ladybirds, there is an entomologist shop in Vale is!" She declares as she looked at the flowers, "I want to help an old chum out!"

"Wow…thanks Pen…" Naruto then smiles as he looked at her, "do Flynt and Katt ever mention me?"

"Not in a good taste, Flynt and Katt have become nasty toward other people." Penny reveals as she looked downtrodden by it, "it is rather saddening."

Naruto looked at his scroll, "oh man I need to go, I have a dat…I mean a friendly outing with a friend."

"Oh, friendly outing, can I tag along?" Penny asks as she looked at Naruto.

The blonde looks at her, then looked toward the time, he decided to go ahead and ask Yang if Ruby was going to tag along. When she quickly replied that she was his mind was made up, and Naruto looked at Penny with a bright smile.

"Sure Penny, you can tag along!" He cheerful answers her.

"Splendid, I cannot wait to go hang out with friends. Ciel never lets me go and hang out with people, "the very mention of Ciel made Naruto cringe a little bit, "what is wrong, friend?"

"Is Ciel here?" Naruto asks.

"She is somewhere, but I cannot determine where," Penny admitted.

"Joy…" Naruto sighs, "well c'mon let me go introduce you to my friends."


	28. Season Two Episode Five: Dock Party pt2

Yang had to drag Ruby along. The fighting between Weiss and Blake was getting worse, it exploded to a near fist fight in the room. The girls all agreed that everyone should just be out of the dorms. Blake went back to the bookstore, probably to hang out with Tucson who was the owner of the store.

It wasn't all bad, apparently, Naruto had a former friend from Atlas enter Beacon as part of some sort of team exchange. So, _she_ was going to be with him. For some reason, Yang had a to bite herself, it kind of irritated her a little.

Date or not, sometimes she wanted to be alone with someone else other than her friends or her baby sister. Privacy, it was a commodity that she rarely had growing up. So, as she walks across the streets of Vale with Ruby hanging off her side, she found the diner Naruto was talking about.

It wasn't really a diner, but more of a stand. She entered under the flaps, seeing him. He leaned back and smiled.

"Hey there, thought you got lost for a minute!" Naruto states as he smiles brightly, "welcome to Ichiraku, the best ramen place in Vale."

"Oh, ramen sounds lovely." Yang sat by him, while Ruby sat her side.

She looks at him, "where's your friend?"

"Oh, Penny, she's at a store across the street." Naruto points with a thumb.

Ruby's eyes widened, "wait what…did you say, Penny?"

"Salutations!" Both girls' eyes widened when Penny came under the flaps.

"Penny?!" Yang and Ruby yell out.

Naruto hummed in confusion, looking between them, "you know each other?"

"Of course, Weiss accidentally ran into her while chasing down a Faunus." Yang watches Penny sit by Naruto, "so she's the friend?"

"One of the first ones I ever made after entering Atlas," Naruto answered as smiles. "So, dinner is on me."

"What you got it the last time, I got this one." Yang counters as she looks at the Fox Faunus.

"Eh, your wallet's funeral." Naruto merely responds tapped the counter, "oi Teuichi."

"Ah, if it isn't my favorite customer. Say, you got three ladies here with you, told you if you became more open the floodgates would follow." The old man chortles as he looked at them all.

Ruby had a small blush on her face, "well not…me…maybe Yang."

Yang rolls her eyes, "no, I'm not. We're all just really good friends, um, Teuichi."

"Ah, well this kit is of good cloth. Ayame, get Naruto's usual ready!" Teuichi calls to the back, "and what would you lovely ladies be having?"

"Um, well I guess I'll have some Roasted Chicken Takayama Ramen, some soy sauce." Yang answered as she looked at Ruby, "you?"

"I'll have what Naruto's having, I'm curious." Ruby states, "and do you have any sweets by chance?"

"We have some pocky sticks, what flavor?" Teuichi asks as he walks over to the counter and pulls open a drawer.

"Um, I like strawberry, but if you don't have that I'll take the chocolate chip." Ruby bashfully says while looking at the man.

"Aww, well that's too bad, because we have _strawberry with chocolate chip_ ," time slowed down on the last bit for Ruby.

Her eyes glowed with mirth, "yes please!"

Yang pinches her nose, shaking her head, "I swear…"

"Well, Penny, what about you?" Naruto asks as he looked.

Penny hums and looks at the menu, "I believe I'll have Takayama, but with extra scallions, beans, and menma."

"Coming right up dears," Teuichi posted his order to the cook, Ayame. "Ayame, we got a good-sized order."

 _"_ _I'll need your help back here dad,"_ Ayame calls from the back.

"Well, you heard the lady, duty calls!" Teuichi adjusted his apron and walked into the back.

Naruto watches as the man walks into the back, he then sighs, "so how bad is it?"

"Pretty bad," Yang tells him, "they keep going at each other like cats and dogs."

Ruby frowns as she looked at her pocky sticks, " it is sad, I thought we were all friends."

"Friends argue," Naruto reassures Ruby, "but what makes someone a friend is that they push past that and walk forward."

The silver eyed girl smiles, "thanks Ru."

Naruto thought for a moment and then smiled as he spoke, "Ru, hmm, kind of like that name Silver."

Yang giggles as she watches her sister blush, "hey now, my sister is off limits.'

"I know," Naruto closed his eyes while smiling brightly. "I just like teasing."

The lilac eyed blonde slowly leans toward him, "that so hmm?"

Blushing madly, Naruto recoils a little bit, "um…well…I…"

Penny looks at them, laughing a little, "Yang is flirting with you."

"Um, I can kind of see that," Naruto answers Penny. "Hey, Pen, so how has Atlas been?"

"Atlas has been great, enjoying the best economic growth in decades and plus everyone in our class graduated into our Huntsmen Academy…except for you and Ilia." Penny tells him, which makes him frown.

She realized her mistake, "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be, I agree with you. Ilia ran off to be with The White Fang and I didn't think I wanted to stay in Atlas. Hey, by chance, do you hang around Winter often?" Naruto inquires as he looked at the green-eyed girl.

The girl nods vigorously, "of course I do, Winter Schnee is my friend!"

The blonde smiles, "that's good…Winter may be cold on the outside but she's a sun on the inside."

"Wait, back up, you said Winter _Schnee,_ right?" Yang questions him.

"Of course, Winter used to be my teacher in the Atlas Prep Academy. She helped me with my swordplay, and pretty much kept me in the zone on my paperwork." Naruto then chuckles nervously, "if you think Weiss's mantra about studying is bad Winter's was ten times worse."

Yang laughs, "Ice Queen is really an Ice Princess…nice."

"I guess Winter and Weiss make everything nice, you _Schnee_ what I did there?" The voluptuous blonde inquired with a pun.

The Fox Faunus laughs, "just a little."

Suddenly Yang's scroll blew up, she looks at it and just scowls, "damn it…Blake's calling."

She answered it, "hello?"

 _"_ _Yang I am being serious, I'm sorry for interrupting your date but I'm going to punch Weiss in the throat!"_ Blake shouts over the phone, _"she locked me out of the room!"_

Yang just slammed her head on the counter, "okay Blake, me and Ruby will be heading shortly."

Ruby gives Yang a look, "we have to leave, don't we?"

"Yep," Yang looks at Naruto before giving a saddened smile. "Sorry whiskers."

"No, its cool, go take care of your team's business. I'll just hit you up later next week," Naruto watches as she smiled and nodded before walking out with Ruby.

Penny frowns, "Yang's aura indicates a mix of frustration and irritability."

"You can read auras," Naruto asks Penny as he turns to her. "What does mine say?"

"You're feeling jaded," the ginger answered. "Not because of Yang, it is probably stemming from circumstance."

Naruto frowns, sighing, "yeah…well, Penny, I guess it's me and you."

"Like old times old chum!" Penny excitedly states.

He then thought about it, "well…I think I could do something nice."

* * *

"That's enough!" Yang shouts as she stands between Blake and Weiss.

"I'm so tired of you two arguing, over some random Faunus guy too. I mean c'mon, we're supposed to a be a team damn it! I don't care what everyone's personal beef is, you two either hash it out properly or just shut the hell up!" Yang continues her tirade, "I mean seriously, why is it so important Weiss?!"

"The White Fang are a bunch of terroristic criminals, isn't it our duty to protect Vale even if we're in training?" Weiss asks while crossing her arms.

Yang gave her a nod, "yes, it is, but what evidence is there that he's a Fang member?"

"Evidence?! He ran from the police, what more evidence could there be!" Weiss argues, only Blake to yell at her.

"You see, there it is again, maybe if you'd open a paper or look on a news site once in a while, you'd see the rise of Faunus arrests since the dust heists began!" Blake told Weiss as she looked at her teammate.

The Schnee heiress rolls her eyes, "and?"

"And that's where you don't get it! The Faunus fear the police, how do they know they aren't just going to get shot for simply being at the wrong place and time?!" Blake folds her arms, "but sure…keep being ignorant."

"Ignorant, ignorant of what?!" Weiss yells.

"You just don't get it, Faunus aren't all criminals and such!" Blake argues, "and if you think that's the case you don't see what I see!"

"Oh, yeah, all of them are victims. Well, you know what?! I'm a victim, countless friends of my family, people I grew up knowing, innocent men and women were either captured or killed by them. So, you think that pity trip and just go on it alone. To me all White Fang are violent, and all they do is attack and destroy what others had built!" Weiss yells at Blake.

Suddenly the hazel-eyed girl explodes, "maybe _we_ got tired of being pushed around!"

The silence was deafening, Blake stood there, looking around as everyone got shocked looks on their faces. She felt her heart throbbing, beating drums heavy in her chest, her breathing became labored. Slowly, but surely, she backs away. Her cat ears fully exposed.

"Blake…" Ruby reaches for her friend only for the Cat Faunus to take off running, "Blake!"

Weiss glares at where the Cat Faunus used to be, "a White Fang member under our noses all this time…"

"Will you just shut it, Weiss!" Ruby suddenly snaps.

The girl looked sad as she ran out of their dorm room, Yang just glares at Weiss, "not cool Ice Queen."

"Oh, stop with the puns," Weiss groans, "no one likes them!"

"I wasn't making a pun, idiot." Yang walks out of the room.

She sees where a window had been broken, "Ruby?!"

"Yang," Ruby looks outside, "Blake's gone…she just…"

The silver eyed girl lowered her head, "we're terrible friends…"

"No, we're not, c'mon we'll split up. I'll even contact Naruto and Penny to help." Yang comforts her sister.

"Contact me for what?" Naruto asks as he walked down the hallway before noticing the window, "ooh did I miss something…or…"

Yang shook her head, "turns out Blake is a Faunus…we didn't know and Weiss just…"

"Acted like a Jacques Schnee," Naruto finished for her. "Great…Penny can you do me a solid and put these in the communal fridge."

Naruto handed her a few bags of food, "sorry to ask this of you, I've got a friend to go find."

"Roger that friend Naruto, no problem!" Penny quickly ran toward where the community rooms were.

Yang looks at him, "where do you think she went?"

"If I were her, I'd be looking to make a point," Naruto said while walking toward the window. "Meaning she's going to try and be an idiot."

Ruby looks at him, "that's cold…"

"No," the Fox Faunus shakes his head, "its what I'd do if I got accused of something. Make it a point to clear my name, Ruby you and Penny hang back. Make sure Ice Queen Screwup doesn't start anything racist and get Dove, Russel, and Cardin up."

The girl nods, "right!"

Yang looks at Naruto, "what are we doing?"

"Going to save your partner before she gets in over her head," Naruto goes to hop out of the window.

Yang watches as he does, landing on the ground below while using his aura. She jumps as well, getting caught by Naruto before both started to run in unison toward the transports. They noticed that one had taken off, apparently, Blake could fly a Bullhead.

* * *

Blake was currently at a tea shop, she was crying over a glass of honey green tea. She wipes her face off with her forearm, the looks her team had when they realized, it was horrible. Slowly, but surely, she just adjusted herself in her seat. The White Fang would probably be doing a heist tomorrow night if they were the ones behind it, new moon and total darkness.

"You know," Blake suddenly heard someone. "You do look cuter without the bow, but seriously, you'd look better with a smile."

She looks behind her to see the Monkey Faunus from earlier, "you…"

The Faunus sat at her table, "me, or Irene?"

Blake couldn't help it, she cracked a small smile, "thanks…"

"Pfft don't mention it," the teen holds out his hand, "I'm Sun, Sun Wukong."

"Blake, Blake Belladonna," Blake greets him.

"So, why the long face, I mean you were traveling with your friends earlier." He noticed the pain expression on her face, "what's up?"

"I don't think they're my friends now," Blake revealed as she held head low. "I kind of kept it hidden that I used to be White Fang…and…well…that I was a Faunus."

Sun sighs, "well, I can see where they'd be upset."

He then smiles, "but hey, you know what?"

"What?" She asks.

"You can still win them back," he replied with a smile. "I mean, let us be honest, how bad can they seriously be?"

"Ones a Schnee…" Blake tells him.

"Oof, never mind, that's pretty bad. But the others don't seem so bad, I kind saw you hang around after getting away." He then produces a book, "you dropped this book by the way."

"I thought Weiss threw that out," Blake mumbled as she took the book. "I owe her an apology…"

"Nah, if she's causing you to cry like this. Hey, you know what, how about I get us some grub?" Sun motions a waiter to come over, "my treat."

"You don't have too, I don't even know you…" Blake says while lowering her head.

"Well that's baloney, you know my name, I know yours. Presto change-o we know each other," Sun argued lightly with a smile. "So, about being former White Fang…"

"It was when I younger…dumber…" Blake thought of a man in a mask with red hair, "it was a lifetime ago really."

"Let me guess," Sun taps his chin. "Schnee got disgruntled and accused Faunus of being the robbers of the dust around the area?"

"Yes!" Blake exclaims in relief, "you get it, don't you?"

"Well…" Sun winces, "about that…"

"Oh no…you're Fang, aren't you?" Blake gasps as she tensed up.

Sun looked shocked by the accusation, "what, no! I just happen to notice things while exploring Vale…and that I just happened to almost catch the tail end of a robbery last night."

"Wait, seriously, who was it?" Blake questions him.

"You see," Sun took a deep breath, "that's where it's weird."

"I'm not a White Fang member, but I know they don't like humans too much. Good o'l Sienna Khan dogma, and all that jazz. But listen, they seemed to be taking orders from a man in bowler hate. Normally I'd say he's a Faunus, but he just kept talking down to him." Sun then shows Blake a picture he managed to take.

Blake's eyes widened, "that's Roman Torchwick."

"Oh, he was on the news in Vacuo, some big-time gangster dude. Pfft, what a rip, he looks less tall in person." Sun comments, but then smirked, "and luckily for us guess what comes into port tonight."

"What?" Blake questioned.

"The ship I stowed away on had a sister ship, The Andraste, more specifically Schnee Dust Company Supply Liner Andraste." Sun continues as he pulls a picture of it, "and guess what they so happened to hit in Vacuo last month?"

Blake's eyes widened, "the biggest Gale Dust and Burn Dust vein to date…"

"And we have our winner," Sun congratulated her jokingly. "Now…I'm not a criminal…but if I was looking for Dust…"

"I'd be at the port tonight!" Blake got up, "food will have to wait."

Sun chuckles as he got his weapon, "I'll take a rain check."

"If it is Roman Torchwick, he's probably disguising people in White Fang uniforms so the fear would spread. If he's able to confuse people then he'll be harder to catch," Blake reasoned as they walk out of the tea shop.

"You see that's good in theory," he looks at her, "but what if it is really White Fang?"

"Then I'm going to need a _question_ a few of them," Blake growled as they began to run down the street.

Roman Torchwick was watching as several members of The White Fang loaded Dust onto a Bullhead. He was being impatient, watching his watch. They needed to be in and out in thirty minutes top. The Faunus were running behind, and they were currently twenty minutes in.

He watches as the container was strapped by magnetic cables, "c'mon hurry it up, you mangy mutts."

A tall man stood behind Roman, he turns around, "and any sign of trouble?"

"I'm not some lacky, Roman, The Black Rose Gang may be in a small alliance with you, but don't let that go to your head." Wamuu states as he looked at the docks.

Suddenly he sees two people land on top of a building, "oh look…trouble."

Roman growls as he watches a raven-haired girl drop down, looking at his crew stop. He gets frustrated, this is what happens when people take too long.

"See," Roman slaps a nearby White Fang member over the head, "no doggy treats for you."

"Brother and sisters of the White Fang," Blake removed her bow. "I beckon you to stop what you're doing, we do not serve!"

Several members looked at each other before arming themselves, "sorry kinsmen."

"We are sorry kinsmen, but you're at the wrong place." Another said as he aimed his gun at her, only for her to appear in front of him.

She knocks him into the air before slicing the gun in half. Roman rolls his eyes, looking at Wamuu who just stands there. Growling he walks up toward Blake, blocking several slashes from her blade when she focuses on him.

Roman smirked, "ooh…you have claws kitten."

"Shut up," Blake growls as she pushes him before trying to stab him in the throat.

Roman merely stepped back, easily blocking her strikes, humming along the way. Wamuu looked like he was about to step in before shrugging and picking up two magnetic cables and attaching them to a Bullhead. He looks over to see Roman pressing her now, knocking her around and much to his surprise sending the Faunus across the ground.

The gang leader chuckles as he aimed his cane gun at her, "too slow kitty cat."

A sudden banana peel lands on his face, "what the…"

Sun jumps down on his face, smirking as he kicked him away. The Monkey Faunus spun his heel, readying himself as several White Fang members landed on the ground. He looks at Blake, nodding, she runs to go disable several of the magnetic cables.

Roman, now surrounded by guards just looks at Sun, "who called in the Monkey?"

"I don't know," Sun smirked as he looked right at Roman. "When are you going to call and order some extra height shoes?"

"Mother…" another banana peel hits him in the face, "fucker…"

Sun easily ate the banana as several Fang members charged at him. He blocked them with his forearms, using his aura to easily push any weapon that got too close. Jumping back, he activates his weapon and spins the staff around before slamming it into the ground.

"One chance guys," Sun avoids a slash from a sword. "I don't want to kick your asses."

"Shut up and dance monkey!" Roman yells as he charges with his workers.

Sun blocks Roman's strikes with ease, going toe to toe with the man. Leaning back to avoid a slap to the face, Blake suddenly leaps over her fellow Faunus. She gives a war cry as she slashed at Roman, who easily kept up with her despite her semblance being activated.

The girl is knocked away by Roman before Sun delivers a kick to his face. He glares at the Monkey Faunus before looking up. He aims his cane gun upward, blowing up a magnetic cable on an overhead crane.

Sun's eyes widened when Blake was in the direct path, "Blake!"

Her eyes widened, only for the shimmer of golden light to appear and knock the cargo pod away. Landing on the ground Yang stood there, looking at her partner, giving her a smirk. Another blonde dropped by her, a Fox Faunus.

"Gotta say whiskers your ears are good," Yang compliments Naruto before looking at Blake. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," that was a lie her aura sparking around her. "But why are you here?"

"We're your friends, duh!" Yang offers her hand to which Blake takes, "now c'mon let's go punch a smug guy in the face."

Naruto then growls, "well this is now bad."

"What whiskers," Yang noticed his glare fixated on Wamuu. "Do you know him or something?"

"He's Wamuu of The Black Rose Gang…" Naruto pops his knuckles, "and he's getting ready to fight."

Wamuu smirks, "I'm glad that students know my name child, too bad you've truly must have poor luck to be fighting me."

Several more transport craft over the night horizon, carrying several more White Fang members and gang members. Naruto took a deep breath as he readied Red Flower, holding the hilt with his left hand. Blake was helped up, watching as everyone got tense.

"Well we're heavily outnumbered," Yang observed as she readied herself. "Also, looks like Roman is trying to get away."

The Cat Faunus growls, "don't let him escape."

Naruto quickly activates Red Flower's bow mode before shooting an arrow at Roman. Wamuu then stands in front of it and activates his skin turns black where the arrow was going to hit. A resounding pang was heard across the dock as Wamuu's semblance block Naruto's aura arrow, allowing Roman to escape.

Wamuu cracks his neck while walking forward, Naruto bounced on his feet in anticipation while Yang got ready beside him. Sun saw several White Members running toward him and Blake, looking at her as she still had her aura sparking around her.

"I got this, you just stay down," Sun charges at them, intent to hold them off.

When Wamuu got within a certain distance Naruto suddenly charged without warning. The giant pillar man blocks the first sword strike by Naruto with ease, only to see that the teen used it as a distraction. The Fox Faunus knees Wamuu in the gut, only to recoil in pain when he activated his semblance.

Yang's Ember Celica blasts away as she charges, trying to punch and blast Wamuu in the face. The man simply shrugged it off as he activates his semblance to block the attacks. Naruto grabs Yang just in time to make sure she didn't get grabbed by Wamuu before retreating.

He sheathes his sword back into its scabbard, "Red Flower won't work…"

"Why not?" Yang asks.

"I already know how his semblance works," Naruto eyed Wamuu. "It probably activates just before an attack reaches him…covering his skin in iron."

"Not really," Wamuu laughs, "but you're very close."

"Tch," Naruto hisses as he dropped into a fighting stance. "Then your skin becomes the metal."

The man nods, "too bad I must break you before you can leave here."

"Like hell, I'll let you do that," Yang shouts as her eyes turn red, "you overgrown asshole!"

"Don't take it the wrong way boy, it's merely meant to get back at your teacher…" Wamuu smirks as he eyed the stance, "Kakashi killed one of my brothers after all."

The Fox Faunus glared right at Wamuu his own eyes turning red. He and Yang shared a glance before both nodded, they were going to test the bastard's semblance to the limits! Slowly, but surely, they readied themselves. Wamuu roars out as he starts charging, with Naruto and Yang giving their own war cries.

Yang blasted ahead of Naruto, smashing her right gauntlet into Wamuu's face which forced his semblance to activate. However, Naruto goes low and tries to punch him in the gut. Instead, the blonde teen winces when his hand crunches against metal. But much to Wamuu's surprise they coordinate and launch another couple of strikes together.

Naruto leans back to avoid a punch, smashing Wamuu in the face with his on. Grunting when he hits the Pillar Man's face, he felt his aura stress. Yang got behind Wamuu and launched a few blasts into his back from gauntlets, but the man merely shrugged them before grabbing Naruto in a bear hug.

The blonde thrashes in the man's arms before getting an arm free. Wamuu smirks as he begins to squeeze tighter and together, but suddenly a loud screech fills the air as Naruto formed a Rasengan in his freed hand. It wasn't perfect, but when he smashes it into Wamuu's face it had the desired effect.

Wamuu stumbles back, stunned as he lets go of Naruto. Just in time for Yang to deliver a haymaker into face to knock him back further. Her aura explodes around her before she charges him. Leaping into the air she comes down delivering a powerful punch.

The two blondes stood side by side as they nodded at each other. Naruto took a deep breath as he reenters his fighting stance. He charges first, there was sudden calmness to his movements as he stopped just short of getting punched by Wamuu.

Leaning back to avoid a punch, Naruto uses his forearm to deflect the next blow. His eyes scanned over Wamuu and then suddenly he jabs two fingers out and catches him in the chest. The man's eyes widened as he felt himself lock up, Yang leapfrogs over Naruto before superman punching in the face.

He slams into the ground, coughing up a wad of blood as he got up. Yang stands beside Naruto, taking a deep breath as she readied herself.

* * *

Sun bats a few White Fang members away, keeping his distance as he saw blur rose petals come around him. He then sees a teen with a sword emerge from them with a girl with a scythe, he watches as the sword wielder smashed through of White Fang easily.

The girl with the scythe blocks and sends several members flying as she looks over at Blake. She runs over to Blake, tackling her in a hug, which Blake seemed too stunned to return. The girl gets up before noticing a commotion on the other side of the docks.

"Friend Naruto and Yang are struggling against one hostile on that side, his aura signature is massive." Penny said while her eyes glowed, "we need to help them."

Sun backed up toward them, "yeah, you alright there Blake?"

She nods, "yes."

"Good, C'mon, let's go save my fellow blondes eh?" Sun offers as he starts running toward the other side.

Ruby nods, "I'll provide range cover!"

"As well as I!" Penny added in.

* * *

Wamuu dodged a kick by Naruto before slamming with a punch to the gut. The punch was powerful, multiplied by Wamuu turning his fist into at the point of impact. Naruto was launched upward but managed to right him and grabbed his knife from his belt.

He blasted himself down with aura and slashing a cut into Wamuu's face which turns to iron when turned toward Yang. The man hisses before knocking Naruto away with his forearm. Naruto allows himself to fall, using the moment spin himself on the ground and kick Wamuu's legs.

The man fell allowing Yang an opening to which she took. She charges, punching directly in the side and blasting him across the docks. He gets up, roaring out in a rage before charging. Naruto stands up as Yang charges forward, blasting him with several blasts.

The blasts cloud his vision, allowing Naruto to get some cover before smashing a Rasengan into the man's chest. It had no effect since he used his semblance right in the nick of time, it blocked Naruto's attack with ease.

"Your technique is good, but its nowhere near his…" Wamuu states before punching Naruto across the area.

The teen angles himself so he can recover, springing back into action. Wamuu dodges a punch from Yang, only to get blasted forward. Naruto gathered energy into his right, taking a deep breath as felt the familiar calm from before.

Wamuu watches as Naruto dodges his attack. Naruto follows up and swings at him. The attack misses as Wamuu's head moves to the opposite side, but that's when a depression forms on his cheek and he is sent flying across the dock. Slamming into a cargo pod, Wamuu pulls himself from the indent he made.

Licking his lip, he then congratulates the Fox Faunus, "not bad, kid."

Naruto charges with Yang, however, Wamuu suddenly rips large dust crystal out of the cargo pod. It was Gale Dust!

Yang is knocked out of the way by Naruto before Wamuu activates the dust. The whirlwind that followed sent Naruto over the edge of the dock and into the water. The lilac eyed teen turns herself around to look at where he was launched off from.

"Naruto!" She yells out, only to turn around and charge at Wamuu.

She unleashes her full power, lunging at the man. Cocking her fist all the way back, gathering as much aura she could into it. This blow was going to be heavy, enough to shatter stone if she wanted. But that's when things turned around as he grabbed her fist. He twists it, bringing her to her knees, he then knees her in the face and knocks her back. Coughing up a wad of blood, Yang's aura grew as she got up and threw her strongest punch at his torso. He slides back a little bit before looking at her, aura flickers as she looks at him.

He charges heavy footsteps shook the ground as he got near them. Suddenly he grabbed her by the neck and hoisted her up, smirking, Yang struggles and kicks at him. His semblance activating and blocking any damage he'd taken from the kicks let alone her punches.

A sudden glow from behind Wamuu impacts him. It makes him stumble forward, taking no damage, but enough to allow Yang to get out of the chokehold. She blasts away from him, retreating just as she sees Naruto standing behind him.

He was breathing hard, Wamuu growls and tries to grab him. Naruto quickly reacted and jumps back, dodging the grab just in time for glowing Sun to impact Wamuu. The man stumbles to the side, that's when Naruto figured out something.

Water!

Forming another Rasengan in his hands Naruto timed it to when another glowing impacted Wamuu and then he slammed him the opposite way with his technique. The force of the technique sent Wamuu sliding toward the edge of the dock.

However, he didn't go over.

Naruto's aura sparks around him, he falls to one knee. Breathing hard, he glares right into Wamuu's eyes. Wamuu roars out as he charges only for Blake to suddenly wrap his legs up in Gambol Shroud's ribbon, making him trip. Yang gets to Naruto's side, checking over him.

"You alright whiskers?" Yang asks as she helps him up.

The blonde continued breathing hard, "I'm fine, but this is not a winnable battle."

Wamuu broke free, getting up with a war cry. However, right at that moment a shot rang out and hit him across the dome. Some blood splattered onto the ground, he had been unprepared. He looks up, glaring as he felt his head ring in pain.

A girl in a red hood stood there, aiming her rifle, "stay away from my friends you jerk!"

"Friend Naruto!" Penny suddenly lands by him, everyone was slightly stunned at the girl's sudden appearance.

She began to give him some of her aura, "you are very injured, your right hand is fractured."

"I'm fine Pen," he looks at Wamuu, "you better run…she is a crack shot with that thing."

"I run from no one," Wamuu growled as he started walking toward them, only to stop in his tracks.

Dove lands by Naruto, looking at him, "damn, you're messed up bro."

"Shut up, Dove." Naruto grimaces as he took a deep breath, focusing.

His aura explodes to life, quickly recovering as his injuries started to heal. Dropping into a fighting stance Naruto looks at Penny who was now giving aura to Yang, Wamuu starts charging toward them only glyphs to suddenly erupt around him.

"What is this?!" Wamuu yells as the glyphs exploded around him, making him get knocked about.

Weiss landed on the docks, holding her sword at the ready, "are you all alright?"

"We're fine, thanks for joining in." Yang jabs as she gets up, Ruby lands beside her.

Blake gets beside Ruby, Yang and they walked to stand beside Weiss. Naruto looks at them, smirking as he gup, looking at Dove as Cardin and Russel landed near him. Cardin looked like he had seen better days, probably running into a few stragglers, and Russel looked sleep deprived.

"Aww yeah," Yang punches her open hand, "Team R.W.B.Y is ready to kick some ass."

Ruby rolls her eyes, "swear jar when we get back, especially you Weiss."

"I fully accept that," Weiss states as she looks at Blake before sighing, "we'll talk after this."

Blake nods, "fine."

Wamuu's head wound heals up from his aura, "you lot of children do not frighten me."

Naruto reaches down and pulls Red Flower out of its scabbard, he readied its bow mode.

Cardin readied his mace with some Earth Dust, "good because I wanna kick your ass for hurting my friend!"

"Team C.R.D.N," Naruto charges as he ran full sprint at Wamuu, "go!"

Cardin uses the Earth Dust to spring himself forward, he slams his mace into Wamuu's arms as they brought themselves up to block the attack. Dove roars out as he appeared below Wamuu, using his semblance to knock the man in the air. Russel uses his aura strings to pull them out of the way as Naruto appeared above Wamuu.

He aimed an arrow coated Gale Dust downward, "Ruby!"

He launches the arrow, Wamuu barely turns himself in time to block the attack. Slamming into the dock's concrete ground, the man's eyes widened when felt himself bounce back from the force. Blake uses her remaining ribbon from Gambol Shroud to tie the man up and sling him towards Yang.

Weiss slammed Mytrenaster into the ground a glyph forming under Wamuu to bounce up into the air. Yang jumps up and slams her full power into the tank of a man in the form of a massive punch. She sends him careening down toward Ruby, who activates her semblance and turns into a blur of rose petals that circles around Wamuu to speed him up. It slams him into the docks with increased force, his iron semblance cracks all around him. His body activating it without control Wamuu just stares up into the starry sky of the night.

His eyes slowly close as he passes out.

Naruto landed on the ground, breathing hard as he looked at the massive man on the ground. He smirked as he leaned back, falling to the ground in a heap.

"I'm beat…" he breathes out, "you all hear that?"

Blake nodded as she looked at him, "looks like LEO is finally arriving."

Ruby looks at Blake, "hey Blake…you're okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Ruby." Blake pats the girl's shoulder and then looks over at Weiss.

Weiss took a deep breath, "I'm sorry…about everything."

"Its fine Weiss," Blake comforted her before bringing her into a hug, "we're a team."

Weiss smiles as she looked at the various human gang members and White Fang Faunus laying about. There was going to a massive media press of this, and people were going to want answers. Depending on Glynda's mood in the morning is whether they'd end up with detention or a pat on the back.

However, as the two teams plus a couple extras stand on the docks.

They all looked at each other, smiling, they had stopped someone. Not as one person, not even as Faunus, but as one single unit.

A team.


	29. Season Two Episode Six: Virus

Naruto was sitting at the cafeteria table with everyone from last week's escapade. Getting cleared of any wrongdoing was easy enough, but there had been a discussion. Vale's LEOs couldn't take down Roman, and it seemed that some of the deadliest people had joined his ranks.

"I'm saying that we at _least_ think about it," Ruby said before dipping her cookie into some milk.

Naruto nods, "I hear you on that, but we need to tread carefully. The Pillar Men Gang, well now…The Black Rose Gang, aren't to be trifled with."

"You seem to know a lot about them," Weiss commented as she sips her coffee.

"I do my homework, in Signal I used to study news from Beacon. The incident nearly two years ago rocked the school to the core, someone had managed to fake everything and enter. Which, given the circumstances that followed, I doubt Ozpin allowed." Naruto replied to Weiss as he started circling his ramen with chopsticks.

He gave it a hefty blow cool air before taking some noodles into his mouth. Slurping them down, Dove then looks toward the group.

"We owe you guys one for looking out for our leader," Dove pats Naruto's back hard making him gag a little.

"Well we thank him for looking out for our friend," Weiss praised while nodding at Naruto's direction. "Blake, you okay?"

Blake was enjoying some sushi, "as best as I'm going to be."

"Anyone saw Jauney boy?" Cardin looked at their table, noticing that besides Team C.V.F.Y team J.N.P.R wasn't anywhere near them.

Ruby answers him with ease, "Jaune is taking care of his team, apparently, all of them got sick from something."

"Oof, it is flu season," Yang bemoans as she winced.

"Yay…" Ruby spoke while rolling her eyes, "I just hope I don't catch it."

Yang reaches over her side, "don't worry, I'll take care of you little sis."

"Yang cut it out!" Ruby complains as she childishly swiped at Yang's hand as it squeezes her cheek.

Naruto chuckled a little bit, along with the rest of the table. His thoughts traveled to Jaune however, wondering how his fellow blonde and the blue-eyed teen was doing.

* * *

Ren retches as he throws up into a trashcan, he was running a high fever. They all had been to the nurse's office that day, each one being assigned bed rest and some antiviral medication. Nora was currently thrashing in her bed, cold sweat poured down from her head as she shook from the "cold" room.

Pyrrha wasn't doing any better, "Jaune…"

"Hang on Pyrrha," Jaune makes sure that Ren is done puking before he quickly changes out the garbage bag.

Pyrrha groans as she leans against her headboard, her scroll was on her lap. The girl had been watching a small campy cartoon she enjoyed, ironically named camp-camp. The redhead felt like death was on her doorstep, she watches as her team leader attended to Ren.

Placing a wet cloth over the young man's head before quickly walking over to Nora. She hadn't thrown up, yet, but she was still burning up. Jaune sighed before walking him to Pyrrha, but then surprised her when he sat on her bed to place a cloth on her head.

"Are you feeling any better, Pyrrha?" Jaune inquires as she looks at him.

"Not really Jaune," she lowered her head, "I'm sorry."

She coughed a little, "I don't mean to be a burden."

"You're not Pyrrha," Jaune moved his hand onto hers, "you're just sick."

She gave a laugh, leaning back against the bed's headboard, "you're too kind."

"I know," Jaune smiles as he looked at her. "I already have a plan to go get you all something from the cafeteria, but you may not enjoy it."

"Broth?" Pyrrha asks.

"Yeah, chicken broth served in a fashionable thermos." Jaune laughs a little, "I kind of feel bad though…I don't really want to eat actual food in here with you guys."

"We'll manage," Pyrrha breathes a little harder, "ooh…man…this sucks."

"You ever got the flu before?" Jaune inquires as he looked at Ren.

She sighs, "no…to tell you the truth I never really got sick-sick."

"Oh…" Jaune sounded surprised, "not even a little?"

"Besides a head cold or two," Pyrrha thought back, "no."

"Lucky," Jaune chortled while rubbing her hand. "I got sicker than a dog often when I was a kid."

The redhead laughs a little, "aww…the irony."

"Yeah," Jaune then got his scroll from his pocket. "Here…something to bring your spirits up."

She looks down at his scroll, seeing a picture of him and his sisters. The young boy had a thermostat in his mouth, an icepack on his head, and pigtails from where his sisters did his hair against his own will. Pyrrha ogled the picture for a moment, smiling warmly, she never had a sibling.

"You look cute with pigtails," she jabs playfully before coughing on him, "sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," Jaune tells her, "because when I started getting immune the tables flipped on them."

"Older sister, Saphron," Jaune points out as she seemed the odd one out.

"Why is her hair…black?" Pyrrha inquires as she seemed confused.

Jaune got an evil smirk form over his lips, "I dyed it when was asleep from having some good old fashion NyQuil."

"That's so evil!" Pyrrha exclaims in shock before chuckling, "I like it."

Jaune got an idea before her and he looked into each other eyes. Slowly, almost maniacally, both began to cackle. Turning their heads menacingly toward Nora and Ren, Jaune noted that Nora had some NyQuil earlier to help her sleep.

Ren was having trouble sleeping, so Jaune got up, "Ren buddy o'l pal…"

His team lead reaches into his drawer, "want some NyQuil buddy o'l chum?"

"Yes please," Ren answered as he watches Jaune pour the dosage into the cup.

Ren took it, swallowing the contents easily enough before snuggling back into his bed. Pretty soon, much to everyone's surprise, he began to snore rather loudly. It wasn't the first time Ren cut logs, he was the loudest snorer in the quartet.

Pyrrha and Jaune looked between them both, then got a horribly evil idea.

Nora woke up later in the day, drowsy, "fearless leader…doctor…healer…"

Jaune was in the process of getting her a wet cloth, "oh hey Nora!"

The berserker smiles, "hey you too…"

The blonde walks over to her, placing the cloth over her head. She groans a little, sore and aching from the flu. She saw that Pyrrha was still watching Camp-Camp. The redhead looked over at her, smiling. She gives a small wave toward her friend.

Nora smiled, weakly waving back, "hey there Invincible."

The berserker turns over to face Ren, her lovely magnate eyed best friend. Only thing was, he looked different. Was that Ren, if not, who was laying on the bed? He had orange hair, yet he had the facial features that Ren had.

"Jaune…" Nora calls out, only to hear snickering.

She turns over to see a mirror, looking at herself she then quickly caught on. Nora's hair was black with a single bright pink piece of hair near her right eye. Her mouth was agape, in awe of the vision in front of her. She looks up at Jaune, then back at the mirror, and then turns back to Ren.

Instead of being angry the girl smiles, "nice…"

"Look," Jaune walks over to Ren, "this here is No-lie and you are Ra-ren."

Nora weakly chuckles, "I look good…"

Jaune laughs as he walks back over to Pyrrha, his bed was stripped clean. All of the blankets were given to them, his pillows as well. The teen watches as Nora calls over to Ren, who awakens briefly before his eyes widened at Nora.

"Nora…why?" Ren moans.

She giggles a little, "wasn't me Renny. Our fearless leader and perhaps our Invincible Girl just pulled a prank on us."

Ren's eyes narrowed, someone was going to get payback when he gets to feeling better. Pyrrha nervously chuckles as she pokes her head up from her scroll. Jaune had brought in their schoolwork. He didn't go to class and had a permission slip to take care of his team. Dr. Oobleck just told him to study, since they had a midterm coming up in a couple months.

"Hey, Renny," Ren looks at her.

She puts on a serious face, staring at him with intensity one could find in a dragon. Ren decided to just sigh, giving her a goofy smile and making his stretch all the way open. The two lifelong friends just smiled at each other, that was until Nora started to retch.

"Incoming!" Jaune yells as he flips forward and grabs the garbage can midair before landing in front of her.

Nora vomits, Jaune holding his own back as he walked forward to make sure none dropped to the ground. The redhead just looked at him as if had grown a second head, she shook her head, perhaps thinking it would clear the image she had just seen.

"Jaune," Pyrrha spoke up, "when did you…?"

"Oh that," Jaune nervously chuckles, "I been kicking some money over to a friend for some extra training sessions at night on the weekends."

She should've felt jaded, but Pyrrha was too impressed.

She finally asks him one question, "who?"

"Uh…" Jaune looks nervous.

* * *

 _Velvet stares at Jaune, "alright blondie!"_

 _"_ _When you said you'd be helping to try and train me to dodge," Jaune watches as Velvet took her camera out. "Did you mean I had to dodge literal light?"_

 _"_ _What no, no, this is just my weapon." Velvet tells him as she shows him, "it makes hard light copies of weapons and my semblance allows me to copy someone's fighting style."_

 _Velvet watches as Jaune gushes, "man I hope my semblance is just as cool when I unlock it!"_

 _"_ _Oh," Velvet suddenly walks away before turning around, "how strong is your aura?"_

 _"_ _Believe it or not, I'm the second highest in Beacon…just behind…" Jaune thought of it, "I think I'm behind your friend."_

 _"_ _Naruto, yeah, he's got a monstrous supply. Not to mention his control his great," Velvet started pressing buttons on her camera. "You should ask him to help you out sometime, he doesn't have a semblance either."_

 _"_ _No…" Jaune breathes, "you're kidding me?"_

 _"_ _Cross my heart and hope to die," Velvet chuckles as she found what she was looking for. "Besides, I help him with weekend training if he doesn't go anywhere that day."_

 _Jaune's eyes shined, "can you train me like him then?"_

 _"_ _Heh," Velvet's eyes became one of pure evil, "if you insist."_

 _Suddenly a hard-light copy of Coco's minigun comes alive and forms into the Rabbit Faunus's hands. Jaune just looked at her, then behind him thinking there was some sort of Grimm. Unless Grimm now came in the form of a small bumblebee, then he quickly started to figure it out._

 _"_ _Um," Jaune backs up as he looked at Velvet, "hehehe…when do I start running?"_

 _"_ _Yesterday," she answered with an evil glint in her eye._

 _"_ _Whhhhaaaa!" Jaune screams as he began to run._

 _The hard-light bullets followed soon after._

 _Velvet laughs manically, "don't run from it Jaune, not even Naruto can dodge them all! Muahahaha!"_

 _"_ _You're pure evil!" Jaune yells as he began to duck and weave through the streams of hard-light bullets._

 _"_ _You're right," she cackles, "which is why I enhanced them with electric dust."_

 _"_ _What?!" The Arc screams as a round impacts him, sending him to the ground twitching._

 _Velvet whistles, "you weren't lying, you have a very strong aura…continue!"_

 _"_ _Wait-wait-wait ahh!" Jaune gets up and runs for his life, unknowingly getting better at dodging them._

* * *

"Oh…are you…" Pyrrha winces as she saw a welt on his shoulder, "okay?"

"Of course, I am, never better actually. I swear though she had fun with it, saying that I don't attack back, which made it like target practice." Jaune then smiled proudly, "I actually did something that the resident prodigy couldn't this weekend."

Pyrrha's eyes widened, "what is that?"

"I dodged e _verything,_ " Jaune puts the garbage can down before quickly getting a new bag. "The welt you saw came from me hitting a tree when I hid behind it."

She smiles brightly, "I'm proud of you Jaune…"

"Thanks, Pyrrha, but I'd never been able to get this far without your help." Jaune then walks out the room for a moment before walking back in, "besides if I can take care of you guys while sick it still wouldn't repay the debt, I owe you all."

"Oi," Nora groaned as she looked at Jaune. "You owe nothin' we're ya friends, but I really…really…want…food."

"Nora," Ren calls out to his friend, "you'll just puke back up."

"I don't care," Nora complained as she groans, "I am hungry…"

Jaune laughed while rubbing the back of his head, "well I can go fetch you some tomato soup."

"Please…" Nora all but begs, "I really need food."

Jaune was getting the various plastic bowls filled with the hot substance of the soups together. The teen was trying to figure out a way to get the bowls back to the room. They weren't allowed to take trays out of the cafeteria. Sighing, he looked around only to spot someone who could help.

Jaune stacks them in his hands, but when he takes a saw a couple of the tomato soup bowls getting ready to drop. That's when a Fox eared Faunus grabbed them, he looked at Jaune as he took another step forward.

"Hey, looks like you could use some help," Naruto comments as he grabs a few of the bowls.

"Thanks, Naruto," Jaune thanked his fellow blonde as they walked.

"Don't mention it," Naruto replied with a smile. "How's the team?"

"Sicker than dogs, Nora and Ren keep throwing up, Pyrrha is doing okayish." Jaune bops his head side to side, "how've the classes been?"

"Boring," Naruto answered him with a smile. "Say…Jaune quick question."

"Sure bud," Jaune balanced the chicken noodle soups in his hands. "Shoot."

"Do you have any advice on girls?" Naruto asked as he walks with his fellow teen.

Jaune was taken aback by the question, "oh…um…well…kind of. I grew up with seven sisters."

"Sheesh," Naruto laughs as he looked at him, "must've been fun Dattebayo."

"It was," Jaune laughed. "So, is this about Yang or something?"

"Um…well…" Naruto blushes as he stammers his answer, "kind of."

"Well I'd say just be you," Jaune answered as they rounded a corner. "I mean, I think you're a nice guy. I know we don't talk much, or interact hardly at all, but you're pretty much someone I aspire to be one day."

Naruto was slightly taken aback by the compliment, "like me?"

"Yeah man," Jaune gets to his door, "you're so strong and skilled…I just want to be that way so…"

"So, you can impress Weiss?" Naruto finished.

Jaune shook his head, "not really…there's someone else I want to repay for all that she has done for me."

"Jaune," Naruto smiled as he leaned against the hall. "I think you're doing too much already."

"Nah," Jaune shook his head, "I don't think I'm doing enough."

The two blondes stood there, Naruto then spoke up, "well…honestly, I hope to be as good as a leader like you and Ruby."

"Ruby is an awesome team leader," Jaune agreed as he unlocked his door. "But don't downplay yourself, man."

"Food!" Nora screams in joy, coughing soon afterward.

The two blondes entered the room.

* * *

Paloma was leading the dance class in a tango; her partner was for the day was Weiss Schnee. The two easily danced together, both shared an equal grace in movement. Ruby meanwhile fumbled with Yang a little bit, they were just there to have fun.

Stepping away with a twirl on their feet both Weiss and Paloma clapped their hand before rejoining them. Blake was sitting in a corner, reading a book as she waited on her friends. She had got done dancing with Ruby at one of the songs, and Yang was to come at the next song.

The song ends, Paloma and Weiss share a graceful bow to each other.

Weiss goes over to Blake where she was sitting, Ruby joins her as the girl gets up. The next song was a single's song that didn't need any dance partner. Blake got next to Yang, who followed the dance instructor when the music started.

Today was part-class, part partner, and part solo. Yang for being a brawler had some grace, Blake wasn't a bad dancer as well. It was something the girls found as innocent fun, no guys tried to hit on them, well not often. Today, however, there was a guy about their age at the end of the room that kept staring at either her or Yang.

She couldn't tell which.

It was February Eighteenth, four days before Lover's Day. Beacon wasn't going to do anything special, but luckily it fell on a weekend. The girls timed their dance together, easily keeping pace with one another. Ruby figured it was also a good idea to use this as a team building, and interestingly, it had been working.

Weiss's explosion a week ago kind of derailed the group's plans. The only reason they were here on a school day was since Oobleck got called to an emergency meeting and dismissed the rest of the classes for that day.

They didn't know why, and they didn't care, as far as they were concerned it was freedom. The song ends, with Yang and Blake working up a small sweat. The girls walk back over to their other two teammates, where they get ready to leave.

The guy walks over, "hey there, blondie."

Yang looks over her shoulder, "sup?"

"Noticed your dance moves out there," the guy extends his hand out. "I'm Neptune."

"Flynt," Yang extended her own hand. "I'm Yang."

"Nice to meet you, gush, I seem to be lost." The guy remarks as he looked at her.

"Um, really?" Yang asks as she seemed to be confused.

"Oh yeah," Neptune replied. "I'm lost in your eyes, reminds me of a field of flowers back in Vacuo."

Yang blushes lightly, "well hate to break it to you champ, but I'm kind of…"

The other girls of her team listened intently, Ruby's eyes gleamed curiosity.

The lilac eyed girl just struggled to find the right term for it, "I'm not really…but am…you know."

Blake stepped in, breaking their handshake, "she's in the process of seeing if this one guy is worth a shot or not."

"Okay, that's cool, I get it. Besides, as they always say there's plenty of fish in the sea." Blake really didn't know whether to smack this guy or smack herself from hearing that line.

"Well, I'm off," Neptune walks toward the door and then looks at Weiss, "catch you later."

Weiss for some reason starts to blush, which didn't go unnoticed by any of them. Yang just looked at her, then toward the doors where the guy went out of. This guy's cheesy lines were worse than Jaune's on a bad day, but here she was blushing at them like a giddy schoolgirl.

Ruby, however, looked at Yang, "so are you and Naruto…dating?"

"Not…well sort of," Yang got a little flustered. "I really didn't need you to speak for me, Blake."

"Hey," Blake shrugs, "what are friends for."

Yang huffed, "well…true."

"So, you do know the next date is magical number three," Blake hinted as she looked at her friend. "I recommend wearing some lip gloss."

"We're not really dating, it been just friendly outings. I mean have you ever just went out with someone as a friend," the blonde asks as she looked at Blake, "well?"

"Well of course, but you wouldn't be flustered if there wasn't nothing there." Blake teases a little bit, though it was flat in tone.

Pinching her nose Yang just noticed Weiss's thousand-yard flowery stare, "hey Weiss, you good?"

"Huh, what, oh of course." She answers, "of course."

"So, you would make out with me and Naruto at the same time?" Yang slyly asks with an evil glint in her eye.

Weiss's face turned into a deep crimson, "what?!"

"Ah, Weiss, you've struck by an arrow of love." Yang laughs as she walks out of the studio with her friends.

Weiss becomes flustered, "I don't what you're talking about…hey, wait up!"

* * *

Sasuke clashed his blade against a that of a cloaked figure. The cloaked figure had misshapen hands, webbed like a reptile. It was also much smaller, he dodged to the right and clashed his chokuto against the being's tanto.

Using his Sharingan, Sasuke easily stepped forward and blocked a few strikes from the being. Stopping as he put his sword right through the cloak, stabbing into the being the raven-haired teen watched as it dispersed into smoke.

 **"** **Good job my student,"** Sasuke turns around and kneels.

In front of him was a giant blue snake, it was coiled along a giant tree. The figures that littered the ground suddenly gained life before heading back toward the tree. The teen looks up at the giant snake as it stared at him intently.

"I'm glad you like my skill set," Sasuke clicked his chokuto back into its sheath. "Am I ready to face her?"

 **"** **No,"** the snake hissed as it stared at him with its red eyes. **"We must wait for the one who bears** ** _its_** **soul to emerge."**

"When the False Gods came and burned our world as you said, what makes you think that it survived? The Dark One grows more powerful every day, her army increases every single day. If she were to find us here, then all of our planning will be wasted." Sasuke argues as he sat on the ground, "and you still have yet to teach Sage Arts."

 **"** **You're not ready,"** the snake argued. **"Sage Arts require a strong physical energy reserve, you lack that."**

Sasuke grunts as he looked down at the ground, "why must we hide in the shadows?"

 **"** **In the shadows, we are safe, unreachable to even her touch. People would fear our kind, we are those that have come before,"** The giant snake continued to speak. **"You are troubled hatchling."**

"I just simply wish to make difference, meanwhile you are all waiting on some miracle. My spirit brother, or whatever…" Sasuke scoffs as he watches as the pool of water near the tree ripples from fallen leaves, "what if The Sun never rises again Lord Doku?"

 **"** **Pray that The Sun rises and The Demon sleeps as it does,"** Lord Doku tells Sasuke as it eyed him. **"I can feel the ripples of its presence, two souls vying against each other."**

"In me?" Sasuke questioned.

Lord Doku shook its head, **"in another."**

* * *

The full broken moon shines over Beacon Academy. Naruto Namikaze sits on top of the school, overlooking the entirety of it all. Looking up toward the moon, the shattered pieces of lunar rock giving light to the night.

Slowly, but surely Naruto took a deep breath, and his eyes turned red. Kakashi was standing behind him, not announcing his presence as both met eyes. Dropping into a fighting stance, Kakashi smiles as he pulls his face mask up.

"Come at me, full force…" Kakashi orders him.

Without hesitating Naruto charges.


End file.
